The Chicago Bears are on the verge of winning the NFC North division after taking down the Green Bay Packers in a thrilling overtime contest in Week 16. However, two tough games remain on the Bears’ schedule, which makes the injury status of star wide receiver Rome Odunze very important ahead of the team’s upcoming Week 17 action.
Odunze has been battling a mysterious foot injury for the past couple of weeks that has caused him to miss Chicago’s past three games. With the division still up for grabs, Odunze’s injury situation looms large, but with the team’s second-to-last regular-season game quickly approaching, it sounds like he’s trending towards missing his fourth-straight contest.
Rome Odunze Gets Concerning Injury Update
After a bit of a middling rookie season, Odunze took a major step forward early in his sophomore season for Chicago. In his first seven games of the season, Odunze caught 31 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns, as he seemed to be emerging as Caleb Williams’ top option in the passing game in real time.
Since then, though, Odunze has struggled to get much of anything going, with his foot injury playing a part in his struggles. After aggravating the injury before the team’s Week 14 action, Odunze has been glued to the sidelines, with some reports indicating that he may not play again in the regular season.
While Chicago has the inside track when it comes to wrapping up its division, things would obviously be easier for the team if it had one of its top playmakers at its disposal. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Odunze is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot, and after he missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, it appears as if he’s on track to be ruled out for the Bears’ Week 17 action.
“My understanding has been Odunze is dealing with a stress fracture in that foot,” Pelissero said on “Good Morning Football.” “He actually played with it for several weeks before it just became too much. Rest is the only thing that’s going to help Odunze; this is not a surgical matter. We’ll see if he can get any work on the field today, but at this point, it seems like it’s trending toward him being out for another week.”
Bears Looking to Wrap Up NFC North vs. 49ers
GettyBears head coach Ben Johnson.
Even if Odunze can’t play, Chicago has plenty of playmakers it can turn to on offense. DJ Moore and Luther Burden III are a solid wide receiver duo, with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet also factoring in at tight end. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai also will play big roles on the ground, as they have turned themselves into a lethal pairing over the past couple of weeks.
The problem with Odunze’s potential absence is that the Bears are set to square off against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. The Niners are in a battle atop the NFC West division alongside the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, so they will be very motivated to come out on top in this contest. As a result, Odunze’s status will bear watching ahead of this contest, which is set to take place on Sunday Night Football.
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