The Chicago Bears seem to have caught a break after a heart-dropping moment with rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III in the immediate aftermath of their Week 17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.
Burden was carted off the field after the Bears’ final play of their 42-38 loss when he tried to walk off with the rest of his teammates and fell to the grass in evident pain. He had suffered his injury on the last play while fighting to get open in the end zone.
Encouragingly, though, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Burden suffered a quad injury that is “not thought to be serious,” even though the team planned to have him undergo additional testing to evaluate his injury’s severity on Monday, December 29.
Burden had his best game of the season against the 49ers, catching eight of nine targets for a team-high 138 receiving yards and a 35-yard touchdown. He also made a clutch play on the Bears’ final drive, hauling in a third-down pass short of the sticks but using his run-after-catch ability to juke out cornerback Chase Lucas for a 14-yard gain.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson could provide more details about Burden’s status when he speaks with reporters before their next practice on New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, the next update on Burden will likely come with the injury report released that same day.
The Bears (11-5) will close out the regular season at home against the Detroit Lions (8-8) at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 4.
Will Bears Sit Burden & Rome Odunze Against Lions?
The Bears could give Burden the week to work through his new quad injury before they decide whether he will play against the Lions in Week 18’s regular-season finale, but it also wouldn’t be shocking if they opted to rest him up for the 2025 NFL playoffs.
The Bears have already clinched the NFC North title and a spot in the playoffs, but how they finish against the Lions will determine whether they will be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. If they defeat the Lions or the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Washington Commanders, they will earn the No. 2 seed. If they lose and the Eagles win, they will finish at No. 3.
Regardless of the seeding at stake, though, the Bears may feel it is in their best interest to rest some of their injured players to ensure they are ready for the postseason. Burden is one of them, but so, too, is starting wide receiver Rome Odunze, who has missed the past four games for the Bears — including both Packers games — with a foot fracture.
Johnson said that Odunze is “right on track” before the 49ers game, but whether that means a return in Week 18 or in the playoffs remains unclear. He only said that the team expected him to return and help out at some point before their campaign ends.
Whatever the Bears decide, expect them to keep it close to the chest throughout the week as Johnson goes up against his former team and mentor, Dan Campbell.
Luther Burden Has Flashed Superstar Potential for Bears
Even if Burden does not play against the Lions, the Bears should feel good about the superstar potential their second-round rookie draft pick has shown in recent weeks.
Burden has caught at least one pass in each of the 14 games he has played as a rookie, but the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the stars of the Bears’ offense over the past six weeks as the team has worked to get him more involved in the passing game.
After receiving no more than four targets in his first eight games, Burden has seen five or more targets in each of the last six games for the Bears, catching at least three passes in every contest and amassing a total of 28 receptions for 395 yards and a touchdown. He has also gained more than 50% of his yardage (201 yards) after the catch.
To some extent, Odunze’s absence has paved the way for Burden to take on a bigger role for the offense, but it seems likely that the Bears will strive to get both of them on the field at the same time — along with veteran D.J. Moore — when all three are healthy.
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