Chicago Bears fans were heartbroken that their top receiver, Rome Odunze, was not going to be able to play in the team's critical Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers with a foot injury. Still, his backstory on the injury shows he's got that Chicago grit.
Sources told NFL insider Tom Pelissero that Odunze has been dealing with a stress fracture in his foot for some time now. The Bears are being cautious and letting Odunze rest his foot. He's expected to be week-to-week with the injury, but not long-term.
Odunze will be missing his first NFL game after playing in every game last year and this year. In 12 games this season, he has caught 44 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns.
Questions arise from this situation with Odunze
It does make some within the Bears fan base wonder how long Odunze has been dealing with this injury and why did it take them this long to let him rest with the foot issue. Because Chicago reacted too late to it, now he's missing the biggest game of the season against Green Bay.
Fans will also be curious as to who will step up for the Bears. Rookie second-round pick Luther Burden III is expected to have a bigger role in the offense and move into the starting lineup. DJ Moore is a consistently reliable veteran receiver, with Olamide Zaccheaus also getting a chance to redeem himself after some challenging games of late.
Chicago will be leaning more on the tight ends, which bodes well for Cole Kmet and rookie first-round pick Colston Loveland, who have only recently seen their targets go up. This is the Bears' chance to get their tight ends more involved in the offense, finally.
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The Bears can't do anything about the Odunze injury now and have to live with it. Chicago, at least, has plenty of weapons to step up in his place and keep the offense rolling.