Dalton will start in home finale against the Giants

The Chicago Bears will host the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon, closing the books on their home schedule for the 2021 season. Favored for just the fourth time in 16 games, the Bears are hoping to build on last weekend’s dramatic comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Player in the spotlight: For the fifth time this season, the Bears will be forced to start a different quarterback than they used the week before.

Andy Dalton is back in the saddle Sunday, cleared to make his fifth start in a mostly meaningless January game against a last-place opponent. In a lot of ways, it’s right back to square one for the Bears.

Without question this registers as a missed opportunity for rookie Justin Fields, who has been bumped out of the plans for this week with a lingering ankle injury. Fields was limited in all three practices this week and, despite being listed as questionable on the injury report, isn’t being considered for backup duties Sunday. (Those will belong to Nick Foles.)

Coach Matt Nagy said Friday that Fields is still experiencing notable pain during certain football movements.

“We want to be able to have him do everything,” Nagy said. ‘And he wants that too. So whether it’s scrambling outside of the pocket, extending plays with his legs, whatever it is, with the package he brings we want him to be as close to 100% as we can get him. And he’s just not there right now.”

Dalton’s return comes after a challenging 27-day period during which he broke his non-throwing hand in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, suffered a hip flexor strain during his effort to return and spent six days on the reserve/ COVID-19 list after contracting the virus for the second consecutive season.

“It’s been a crazy month for me,” Dalton said. “Two-fortwo on COVID. Unfortunately. In back-to-back years.”

Dalton also acknowledged the lack of continuity the offense has experienced this season because of all the flux at quarterback.

“This has definitely been a very unique year,” he said. “Very different than every other year I’ve been in the league. … The ideal situation is to have one guy (start at quarterback) the whole year where he’s building that chemistry with everybody throughout the season. But that hasn’t been the case.”

As for Fields, Sunday will be his fourth game missed because of injury and takes away a chance for him to gain additionalon-fieldexperience at the end of his first season. Nagy downplayed that part Friday afternoon, stressing that Fields showed enough flashes during the games he did play to show the organization that he is capable of succeeding at the NFL level.

There’s no promise Fields will see work in the season finale next weekend in Minneapolis, either. While Nagy said the rookie quarterback is getting close physically, he also emphasized the need for Fields to be fully prepared mentally if he’s going to take one more swing at things in Week 18.

David Montgomery has received the honorary scepter from NFL Network’s ‘Good Morning Football’:

Montgomery was given the show’s “Angry Runs” award for an 11-yard run against the Seahawks in the first quarter during which he lowered his shoulder and buried cornerback Sidney Jones IV into the snow.

Montgomerysaidhewasn’t sure where he would keep the scepter but was satisfied with the honor.“I just have to keep running angry, to try to get it again,” he said.

“It’s definitely a cool accomplishment. But it’s just the way I run.”