QB Plan B remains a mystery
The Bears’ quarterback situation for their home finale Sunday against the Giants remained up in the air as they practiced Thursday.
The team’s strong preference is to get rookie Justin Fields as many snaps as possible over the final two games, but not at the expense of his health. Fields missed the game against the Seahawks because of an ankle injury and was limited in the first two practices this week.
Fields is Plan A. Plan B is unclear. Third-stringer Nick Foles started in the win against the Seahawks and played well, but he got that opportunity only because Fields and Andy Dalton were hurt. Dalton had a rough stretch with a non-throwing hand injury, a groin injury and the coronavirus. He was inactive two of the last three weeks.
Dalton appears to be fine now, and practiced in full again Thursday.
The Bears have been mysterious about their plans given that this is a Week 17 game between two of the NFL’s worst teams, both of which have long been eliminated from playoff contention.
When offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was asked Thursday how Dalton looked in practice, given that it was his first day being full-go in a while, he replied dryly, “He looked full to me. Definitely.”
Fields was solid in his last game, a 17-9 loss to the Vikings two weeks ago. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown, plus he ran seven times for 35 yards.
Dalton’s last appearance was a fourinterception debacle against the Cardinals in Week 13, when Fields was out with cracked ribs.
Foles, meanwhile, went 24-for-35 against the Seahawks as he racked up 250 yards, a game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion pass and a 98.5 rating.
The Giants plan to play quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm.
Santos OK
There was some concern about kicker Cairo Santos suffering a leg injury when Seahawks linebacker Tanner Muse crushed him while blocking for a kick return Sunday, but he seems healthy enough to keep kicking.
Santos kicked well in practice Wednesday, special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor said, and the team expects him to be fine for the game Sunday.
For Tabor and his kickoff unit, the bigger issue was that they allowed the return to go long enough to involve Santos in the first place.
“That goes back to our other 10 guys,” Tabor said. “We’ve gotta get him down on the ground sooner so we don’t get it to our kicker. That was made loud and clear by some of the guys.”
Robinson, Jenkins rolling
Wide receiver Allen Robinson had a hard fight with the coronavirus and said he lost 10 pounds, but he has been practicing without limitations.
The Bears did not list any designation for him on the injury report after practice Thursday.
Left tackle Teven Jenkins, who left after three snaps Sunday because of a shoulder injury, has practiced fully both days, as has receiver and returner Jakeem Grant (concussion).
Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (illness) and tight end J.P. Holtz (personal) were the only absences from practice Thursday.