Bears unsure about Fields’ status
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears are reeling. And now, they might have to get by without Justin Fields.
Coach Matt Nagy said the team was still trying to determine Monday if their prized rookie quarterback bruised his ribs or broke them in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“I can’t rule out anything, all I can say is we’re waiting to get feedback today and then that’s what we’ve got to go off of,” he said.
The Bears (3-7) were hoping Fields would build on his best outing as a pro. Instead, he struggled Sunday before heading to the locker room in the third quarter, and the Bears lost their fifth straight game.
Fields completed just 4 of 11 passes for 79 yards after throwing for a careerhigh 291 yards at Pittsburgh two weeks earlier. His final play was a 6-yard scramble on third-and-11 at the Chicago 45 on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Fields went to the locker room and was replaced by veteran Andy Dalton. Who will start when the Bears visit winless Detroit on Thursday was unclear.
Ruggs to remain on house arrest
Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III received a stern talking-to from a Las Vegas judge but was allowed to remain on house arrest with a continuous alcohol monitor on one ankle and a GPS monitor on the other following a fatal crash he’s accused of causing by driving drunk.
Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum told Ruggs and his lawyers she was “comfortable with a higher level of monitoring” after a hearing about a delay in Ruggs providing a remote breath-alcohol test with a hand-held device Nov. 13.
“But if there are any misses, if there are any problems, if there is any alcohol detected in your
system, you need to know that’s going to be problematic for this court going forward,” she said.
Broncos lock up WR Sutton
A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to that the Denver Broncos and wide receiver Courtland Sutton have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth more than $60 million with $35 million guaranteed.
Sutton’s extension comes two days after wide receiver Tim Patrick signed a three-year extension worth $30 million with $18.5 million in guarantees.
Sutton has 43 catches for 617 yards and two TDS in his return this season from a torn ACL that sidelined him almost all of 2020 after a Pro Bowl season in 2019.
Packers missing another lineman
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his ailing toe might not get as much protection as usual for the rest of the season.
The Packers’ 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings became doubly painful with the news that Elgton Jenkins would miss the remainder of the season. Jenkins was carted off the field Sunday after hurting
his left knee.
Jenkins’ injury further decimates a line that already is missing 2020 All-pro left tackle David Bakhtiari as well as center Josh Myers because of knee injuries. Jenkins, a Pro Bowl left guard last season, had been filling in for the injured Bakhtiari at left tackle.
Bakhtiari hasn’t played since tearing the ACL in his left knee on Dec. 31. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Nov. 10 but didn’t practice last week, creating uncertainty about when he might return.
Steelers miss key defenders
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent all week hoping Ben Roethlisberger’s bout with COVID-19 would be mild enough to allow him to start on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
As vital as their veteran quarterback is, the Steelers have become just as reliant on star outside linebacker T.J. Watt and perennial Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
While Roethlisberger felt well enough to take a private plane cross-country to suit up against the Chargers, Watt and Fitzpatrick remained back home, forced to watch a wild 41-37 loss on TV as Pittsburgh had its five-game unbeaten streak come to a screeching halt.
Without Watt wreaking havoc coming off the edge and Fitzpatrick keeping watch over the secondary, Los Angeles lit the Steelers (5-4-1) up for 533 yards, the last 53 coming on Justin Herbert’s dart to a wideopen Mike Williams down the left sideline with 2:09 to play that provided the clinching touchdown.
Fitzpatrick will have a chance to come off the COVID-19 list this week, but Watt’s ailing hip and knee make his status for next Sunday’s trip to Cincinnati far more uncertain.
Chargers lose Joseph to COVID
Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Linval Joseph entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol following a positive test.
He is the fifth Chargers defensive player over the past two weeks that has either tested positive or had to go on the reserve/ COVID-19 list as a close contact.