Bears vs Panthers: Week 7 Preview with Cat Crave

1. A lot of Bears fans love watching Luke Kuechly play, reminding us of our own Brian Urlacher.  How is he doing after suffering yet another concussion?  Is he going to play this week?  How much do you think he has left in the tank after all the concussions he’s accrued?

Chicago Bears

Without question, Luke Kuechly is one of the best to play his position and a true difference maker on the Panthers defense. After entering the NFL concussion protocol for a third straight season both the Panthers and Kuechly himself have to be worried about his long-term health. Fortunately, the situation Thursday night appears to be different in nature than the others and perhaps was a case of Carolina being protective of their All-Pro linebacker.

Unlike previous occurrences, Kuechly has already returned to practice and seems to be rapidly progressing through the protocol. He missed three games each during his previous two incidents and was voluntarily held out of the final three games last season as Carolina was eliminated from playoff consideration. A couple of extra days obviously helps having played on Thursday night last week, but I doubt Kuechly suits up in Chicago opting instead for a return against either Tampa Bay or Atlanta in the next two weeks.

Moving forward, only Kuechly can address his long-term plans but any future admission into the protocol, like this one, will be scary.