The Chicago Bears enter the most important week of their 2020 season with an after-season league in week 17.
The good news is that the Bears control their own destiny. If they win Sunday, then they’re in. The only problem is that they will host the Green Bay Packers, a team that will play for the No. 1 series and a first round. It doesn’t help that Green Bay has had most of a decade-plus in Chicago.
But the Bears can also reach the seventh seed in the NFC with the help of the Los Angeles Rams, who will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the Cardinals lose to the Rams, it doesn’t matter if Chicago wins or loses with Green Bay. But if Arizona beat Los Angeles and lose the Bears, Chicago will be expelled from the playoffs.
To make matters worse, there is a flurry of injuries that threaten the Rams-Cardinals game, which includes both starting backs.
According to Ram Schampter of ESPN, Jared Goff’s eighth man Jared Goff suffered a broken right thumb. While it was originally believed that the injury would end Goff’s season, he met with dr. Steven Shin for a different opinion. While Goff does indeed need surgery on his thumb, he could possibly play through the injury. Still, his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain.
Then there’s Cardinals full-back Kyler Murray, who suffered what Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury called a ‘lower leg injury’ in the final seconds of last Saturday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Murray remained on the ground for a while before leaving the field. Schefter notes that Murray’s status for Sunday is also uncertain.
At this point, it sounds like Murray has more chances to play than Goff, but we’ll have to see how this week shakes out. But if both can not go, it will be John Wolford and Rams rugby quarterback Chris Streveler. Both have never tried to succeed in the NFL.
This situation will be worth going to an important Week 17 game, which will be played at the same time when Chicago will host Green Bay at 15:25 CT.
Fighting Irish Wire: ND coverage of the USA TODAY Network