The Chicago Bears face a tough early test tonight against the Houston Texans. Many consider them a Super Bowl contender in the AFC, headlined by their ascending quarterback, C.J. Stroud. To have any chance of beating them, the Bears must be able to score some points. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams struggled to do so last week against Tennessee. He will need all the help he can get to rebound from that frustrating performance. Unfortunately, two of his primary weapons, Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen, are nursing injuries.
Allen suffers from a heel issue that popped up late in training camp. The Bears held him out of practice all week, hoping the rest might give the injury a chance to recover. Odunze suffered an MCL sprain due to a collision in the win over the Titans. Word is he’s been pushing to play, but many felt head coach Matt Eberflus would be cautious and sit him for the week. At last, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on both players. Allen will test the heel before the game and could be on a snap count. Odunze? He is tracking to play.
Having Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen will help.
While D.J. Moore is no stranger to being the only go-to guy on offense, he can’t be expected to take down a team like the Texans by himself. Having Allen and Odunze on the field will be a benefit to Williams. It is also possible they will get Cole Kmet more involved after a quiet opener. One has to admire the two receivers for giving it a go at all. Heel issues are difficult for wide receivers to deal with. It is a vital part of the body when it comes to their job. The same goes for knees.
Rome Odunze is probably the bigger surprise of the two. Most players would probably play it safe in this situation, choosing to rest for a week to ensure everything is sound. Not Odunze. This is the same guy who played two weeks after breaking a rib and puncturing a lung. As for Allen, health issues have been popping up a lot for him over the past couple of seasons. It is the unfortunate nature of getting older. If he does play, it will be interesting to see how effective he can be.
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I have to lead another protest, repeat after me:
“set them free,”
“leave them be”
“let them play”
“that game day”
That’s all we need is for Rome to hurt himself further, get tackled and be another White
Are we men or mice? Play both of them, even as mere decoys. They do not even need to block on some plays. Then, like Trojan Horses, bring them to life and hit them deep or in key first down situations. The Greek Gods demand it.
Come on, is Schefter even in the building. I thought maybe the articles would get better during the season but I’m wrong.