In the biggest game for the franchise in five years, the Chicago Bears are set to take on the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card with some key injuries they were keeping tabs on throughout the week.
One of the biggest injuries they were monitoring was the health of wide receiver Rome Odunze, who has been out since playing in the Black Friday game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a foot injury. There was much speculation going into the week that Odunze would be returning for the game.
This week in practice, Odunze participated in all practices for the first time in over a month, mostly on a limited basis. With everyone, including Caleb Williams and Odunze himself, saying that he would be on the field, the only way to make it official is to see the official report on all the injuries.
Will Rome Odunze be on the field for the Bears against the Packers?
The final Bears injury report confirmed that Odunze will play against the Packers, backing up what everyone has been telling the media all week. It will be a welcome return for Williams' favorite target on the field.
In 12 games, Odunze has caught 44 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns for the year. He has been averaging 15 yards per reception.
This was the boast the Bears' high-flying offense needed to add yet another great weapon. Colston Loveland, DJ Moore, and Luther Burden III have been carrying the load since Odunze has been out, with all four pass catchers eclipsing 600 yards on the season.
Odunze's return allows the offense to open up a lot more for Bears head coach Ben Johnson to be creative with how they use speedy receivers like Moore and Burden. This will place Odunze back in his role as the offense's number one target and continue to do it all, from being a serious threat to being a possession receiver in the red zone.
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The only real question going into the game is how many snaps Odunze will play, as the Bears have been very cautious with injuries this season. Regardless, Chicago's offense just got so much better with their top receiver back on the field and ready to take down their division rivals for the second time this season, just like their head coach promised.