Bears' leading receiver Rome Odunze is trending towards playing against the tough Browns defense. His return boosts Chicago's playoff hopes.
The Chicago Bears have had an injury scare lately with receiver Rome Odunze.
He suffered a foot injury that kept him out of the crucial Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers. The game came down to a 4th-and-1 on the Green Bay 14-yard line, but the Chicago threw an interception and lost 28-21.
Odunze is the team's leading receiver, with 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
This foot injury is nothing new for him. It is a stress fracture that has bothered him throughout the season, but he has been resilient and played through it.
He appeared on Friday's injury report with the same injury, but his status was questionable after being limited each day of practice this week.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday that the Bears are optimistic Odunze will play on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
He'll be a game-time decision ahead of kickoff.
Odunze was part of the 2024 draft class in Chicago, which included quarterback Caleb Williams. He was one of five players drafted by the franchise that year. They took Williams No. 1 overall and Odunze at ninth.
The Bears also drafted offensive lineman Kiran Amegadije, punter Tory Taylor and defensive end Austin Booker.
Getting Odunze back for this Sunday's game would be huge, considering how good the Browns' pass defense has been despite their less-than-ideal record. Cleveland enters the weekend at 3-10 after a 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
However, they allow the second-fewest passing yards per game at 188. The only team with fewer is the Buffalo Bills, who average 185.5 passing yards per game.
While this game may not look as important as the ones the Bears have down the road, that couldn't be farther from the truth. With the Bears now holding onto the No. 7 seed in the NFC, every win will matter just as much down the stretch.
After this, Chicago must face the Packers, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions, all of whom are fighting for playoff positioning. However, a loss to the Browns could make things much tougher for the Bears than they need to be.
Green Bay is the No. 2 seed, while the 49ers are No. 6 and the Lions are just on the outside at No. 8 before Week 15.
These last four games will be critical in determining the Bears' playoff fate. Three of the Bears' next four games will be at home.
The Browns head to Soldier Field to face the Bears at noon CT on Fox.