Chicago Bears may be handed three unlucky breaks vs. Saints

3. Darnell Mooney may miss the Chicago Bears’ Wild Card game

This would be a tough loss for the Bears. Rookie wide receiver Darnell Mooney has been one of the best stories of this team’s season. Coming in as a fifth-round pick who flew way under the radar in terms of having national draft stock, Mooney has taken his opportunity and ran with it.

In fact, he stole the starting job from Anthony Miller early in the year and this Bears offense has been much better with Mooney on the field as opposed to Miller.

Against the Packers, Mooney was yet another big injury for Chicago. He exited with an ankle injury and did not return. Like Smith, Nagy refused to comment on Mooney’s injury so far this week. Knowing Nagy, he’ll likely keep this under wraps until he absolutely has to give an update.

Mooney’s rookie season was a breath of fresh air for Chicago. He finished seventh among rookies in receiving yards with 631, which is particularly impressive because of the stint Nick Foles had at quarterback and how limited the offense looked.

If Mooney is out, the Bears will have no choice but to turn to Miller, along with Javon Wims, who took on a bigger role after Mooney’s injury against the Packers. Miller has had his moments in the past, but consistency is not his specialty. Without Mooney, the Bears’ chances of scoring points go down, period.

If he’s unable to suit up, look for Chicago to get their tight ends more involved than any secondary receiver. They’ll need big games from both Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet in the receiving department, should they desire to keep up with the Saints.