Bears Final Injury Report vs. Packers: Chicago expected to get major reinforcements back ahead of first playoff matchup
Things are looking up for WR Rome Odunze and CB Kyler Gordon leading up to Saturday’s game.
The Chicago Bears are just a few days away from the team’s first home playoff game since the 2018 season with the Green Bay Packers coming to town for the third clash of the season on Saturday night.
Saying this is a big game is an understatement. This is perhaps the biggest game of the wild card slate and for good reason. This is the league’s oldest rivalry that had its fire re-lit this season and each of the previous two games essentially was decided on the final play of the game.
Emotions are going to be running high in this game and all hands will need to be on deck if a team wants to advance to the Divisional Round. Fortunately, the Bears are expected to get some key pieces back on both sides of the ball based on the final injury report.
Bears Final Injury Report vs. Packers
| Player | Injury | T/W/Th | Status |
| DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson | Concussion | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| LB Amen Ogbongbemiga | Concussion | -/DNP/DNP | Out |
| DL Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | Concussion | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| CB Kyler Gordon | Groin | LP/LP/Full | Questionable |
| OT Braxton Jones | Knee | Full/Full/Full | Questionable |
| DL Grady Jarrett | NIR (Rest) | -/DNP/Full | Active |
| DB Jaylon Jones | Ankle | -/LP/Full | Active |
| DB Nick McCloud | Illness | Full/Full/Full | Active |
| WR Rome Odunze | Foot | LP/LP/Full | Active |
| WR DJ Moore | Knee | LP/LP/Full | Active |
| LT Ozzy Trapilo | Quad | LP/LP/Full | Active |
| WR Jahdae Walker | Illness | DNP/Full/Full | Active |
Bears are expected to get key reinforcements back at the perfect time
Chicago is hoping to have two players back in the fold for Saturday night’s game who have missed extensive time in wide receiver Rome Odunze and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon. Both players missed each of the previous two matchups against the Packers this season, so having them back will provide somewhat of an advantage the third time around.
“It’s good to have them both back out there,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said on Thursday. “They’re excited. They’re moving around well and we’ll see if they can help us out this weekend.”
Odunze has been out of action since Week 13 due to a stress fracture in his foot. It’s an injury Odunze attempted to play through earlier in the season and one that derailed his strong start to his sophomore season, during which he was the team’s most productive pass catcher. It’s been a frustrating thing to deal with and something that could still impact Odunze in his potential return.
“There might be some limitations, those are still to be discussed,” Odunze said. “For me, I’m looking to be out there as much as possible. Make as many plays as I can. At the end of the day, it’s all or nothing for this game to make it to the Super Bowl until the end of the season. I want to contribute as much as possible and put everything that I have out there on the field. That’s my mentality.”
As for Gordon, the team’s recently extended defensive back spent two stints on the injured reserve this season due to various soft-tissue injuries. The Bears activated Gordon’s 21-day practice window this week, allowing him to get back on the field for the first time since suffering a groin injury in pregame ahead of the first matchup against Green Bay.
“Obviously, it’s been unfortunate we haven’t had [Gordon] much this season,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen explained. “But he was a guy that, coming into the season, we were really excited about, and I feel like he can help us make some plays and help us win.”
Other Observations
- Gordon, technically, was listed as questionable so he’s still one to watch going into Saturday.
- Trapilo will be back at left tackle after missing last week’s game against the Lions
- Gardner-Johnson will be out, putting more emphasis on hopefully getting Gordon back.
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