Pencil him in: Pack plan on seeing Hicks
The Bears hope Akiem Hicks will come off injured reserve in time for Sunday’s game.
The Packers, meanwhile, are planning on it.
“We’re anticipating him playing,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s just a guy that you have to account for on every play. He’s a dominant performer, and he has been for a while. Just have to be mindful of where he’s at every time he’s out on the field.”
Matt Nagy’s Wednesday practices this late in the season have a walk-through pace. Hicks participated, and the Bears coach sounded optimistic he’ll return from IR. Hicks has been out since dislocating his left elbow in Week 5.
“I think we have a good idea,” Nagy said. “None of this is live, again. None of practice is live … Most of it is just communication with him saying, ‘Hey, this is how I feel,’ trainers saying, ‘This is where he’s at,’ and then creating a plan if it’s something where, if it’s something we’re going to do — which we’re hoping — then let’s create a plan for it and roll.”
Hicks would give the team a “huge” emotional lift, Nagy said.
“I think it’s big, just because he’s one of our more vocal guys — in a good way,” Nagy said. “He’s a leader — he’s a natural-born leader. Take the play out and what he does on the field — just rallying the guys this week in practice, being around and then on game day, you guys always see him out there. He’s a guy that gets everyone going.”
Flex coming?
The NFL will decide by Monday whether to “flex” the Bears’ Dec. 22 “Sunday Night Football” home game back to the afternoon, a source confirmed Wednesday.
The “flex” would happen if the Bears are eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, the source said. The Saints-Titans game likely would be moved to Sunday night.
The league typically has a 12-day window to opt out of its Sunday night game. But when Tuesday came and went, the league confirmed that it shifted to a six-day window for the Week 16 game.
The 7-6 Bears have a 4.5 percent playoff chance, per Football Outsiders.
Prince back
Cornerback Prince Amukamara, who missed the Cowboys with a hamstring injury, is on track to play Sunday after practicing in full.
Defensive end Roy RobertsonHarris and receiver Javon Wims
— who suffered foot and knee injuries, respectively, against the Cowboys — sat out of practice.
Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow), right tackle Bobby Massie (ankle), tight end Ben Braunecker and receiver Taylor Gabriel (concussions) remain out.
This and that
After practicing inside the Walter Payton Center on Wednesday, the Bears plan to move outside
Thursday. Nagy said there’s a balance between preparing for the weather at Lambeau Field and having an efficient workday.
“I think you can go back and forth on that,” he said. “But for us, we want guys focused.”
♦ The Bears signed receiver Reggie Davis to the practice squad and cut practice squad running back Jeremy McNichols.