The Chicago Bears‘ playoff aspirations just hit a major snag, as the durability of their top wide receiver, Rome Odunze, is now in serious question. He is the team’s top receiver and has helped them get nine wins in the 2025 season. Although his commitment to playing through a stress fracture has been praised, that same toughness might sideline him for the remainder of the Bears’ crucial playoff push.

According to NFL doctor Jesse Morse, the stress fracture injury needs about 6 weeks to heal fully. The league is in Week 14 now, so if he rests as per Morse’s advice, he would simply miss the rest of the regular season. The Bears might put him on the injured reserve (IR) list and then activate him later.

In twelve games, Rome Odunze has 44 receptions for 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The Bears have already ruled him out of the Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers and are considering him week-to-week. But his absence would create more chances for other players in the lineup.

Tight end Colston Loveland has 31 receptions for 406 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. Wide receiver Luther Burden III has played 11 games, finishing with 25 receptions for 328 yards and one touchdown. Odunze’s presence is vital for the team as they are pushing for major glory under the rookie head coach Ben Johnson. But what happens if they keep pushing him to play?

Morse warned that the most common locations for such stress fracture injuries are metatarsals, usually the 2nd or 3rd, and zone 3 of the 5th. The other locations include navicular, calcaneus, and cuboid. Pushing him to play until it completely heals could lead to a full fracture. Rome Odunze would then have to undergo surgery with the insertion of a screw/plate. The Bears wouldn’t want that.

However, his injury puts stress on other players in the receiving corps to perform at their highest level.

The Chicago Bears are under pressure after Rome Odunze’s update

After the top receiver missed the entire week of practice in Week 14 against the Packers, everyone was worried. Johnson calmed them down in his press conference on Friday, December 5, claiming they are keeping an eye on his situation. But the quarterback, Caleb Williams, is overall under the most pressure.

“Yeah. I come in every single week. And we work our tail off as a group, and myself included. And I want to maximize every single thing. That’s why I get frustrated. That’s why my frustration comes about. Because I have such a talented group, whether it’s the whole team, really.”

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Odunze’s injury will just increase his frustration. The team drafted Odunze in the first round (9th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. This year, he has played two games with 100+ receiving yards and has averaged 15 yards per catch. The Bears are in the playoff picture with a 9-3 record. But the rivals’ defense can breathe easy knowing they will not have to tackle the top receiver.

While they are playing it cool, showing belief in their backups and other players to cover for the missing player, they have four out of five games against teams that are in playoff contention. Even in the NFC North, both the Packers and the Detroit Lions are on their tail with eight wins each. It’s a cat-and-mouse game now!