Bears concerning development outside the team’s control involving a few key players is starting to look up going into Week 17
It appears the sickness bug has been going around Halas Hall this week.
The Chicago Bears are wrapping up the week of practice on Friday and then gearing up for the road trip to Santa Clara to take on the San Francisco 49ers under the bright lights on Sunday night.
It’s a pivotal primetime game that’s going to feel like a true playoff game with both teams looking to secure division titles and potentially the top seed in the conference ahead of the postseason.
It’s also shaping out to be a potential shootout game with the way the 49ers offense has been playing recently and the way the Bears continue to make late-game magic happen on a weekly basis. For Chicago to keep up in this game, they’ll need all hands on deck but the team has been dealing with a developing concern outside their control.
Multiple Bears players dealing with illness concerns throughout the week
On the team’s injury report this week, five different players were listed on the report with an illness and on Friday two of those players did not participate.
“It’s this time of year, I doubt we’re the only team dealing with it,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Friday before practice. “We’re washing our hands, we’re being very diligent, guys have masks on, you do what you can.”
Looking at the players that were experiencing sickness this week, four of those players are key special teams players: Josh Blackwell, Nick McCloud, Devin Duvernay, and D’Marco Jackson. Those four players have played a combined 803 special teams snaps this season alone. The other player was outside cornerback Nahshon Wright, who’s played at an All-Pro level this season.
All season long the Bears have done a great job with the next man up approach and making sure everyone on the roster is prepared to step up. The coaching staff will have to lean into that mindset again when it comes to these issues going into Sunday night.
“Whoever’s available here on gameday, we’ll look to win with,” Johnson added. “If a guy can’t go then we’ll be ready.”
After Friday’s practice, no new players were added to the injury report with an illness, a positive sign that it’s not spreading more in the locker room. However, McCloud was already ruled out with Blackwell and Wright listed as questionable. Jackson and Duvernay were full participants and should be cleared to go against the 49ers. Hopefully nothing else spreads as the team prepares to travel.
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