The Chicago Bears are entering a big Week 17 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. While their odds of winning the NFC North are very strong, and they've already made the playoffs, the Bears are also eyeing the NFC's top seed.
A win over the 49ers would not only clinch the NFC North but also open the door for the Bears to secure the NFC's top seed and a first-round bye. But some unfortunate news on Saturday could make things tricky.
The Bears announced that star offensive tackle Darnell Wright had a change to his status for Week 17, as he's not traveling with the team due to injury, and is now questionable for the Bears-49ers Sunday Night Football matchup.
Bears get concerning Darnell Wright injury report
"OL Darnell Wright (illness) has been added to the injury report and will not travel with the team on Saturday," Bears Communications revealed on Twitter/x, "Wright's Game Status is QUESTIONABLE for Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers."
This is a very concerning report for the Bears for Sunday Night Football. With Wright not traveling with the team, he will have to make the trip at another time on Saturday or early on Sunday.
But, regardless of how it works out, the Bears might not be getting Wright for this pivotal Week 17 matchup against the 49ers.
He's a huge piece for the Bears' offense, and his absence would be a massive loss for Ben Johnson and the Chicago offense.
While the 49ers don't have any superstar pass rushers that the Bears will have to worry about, a backup offensive tackle is never a good thing to deal with.
Taking any positives away from this is hard, but one note to keep in mind is that Wright's status is due to an illness. He didn't suffer some freak injury outside of practice, or some injury at practice late in the week that's putting his status at risk.
It's an illness, and one that he could still play through this week. But, even if he misses Week 17, there's a strong chance he's back for Week 18, or at the worst, for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
This is a concerning situation, and one to monitor on Sunday. But for the Bears and Wright, things could be a lot worse. Wright is questionable for Week 17, as this Saturday's injury update is of major concern for the Bears heading into a 49ers matchup.
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