Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) celebrates after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears will be facing the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, and they already have to worry about injuries to their key players. One of those players happens to be Rome Odunze, who has been dealing with a calf injury during the week. The Bears sat him out of practice because of the injury in hopes of him recovering a little faster, and it may have worked.
They won't truly know until game time, but there seems to be a good chance that he plays. Odunze has been battling with foot injuries since late last season, and the hope is that he can put that behind him this year.
Here is Odunze's status going into the game.
Rome Odunze's status vs. Panthers
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Odunze should be ready to go.
“Bears WR Rome Odunze, questionable with a calf injury, is expected to go today against the Panthers, source said,” Rapoport wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
It sounds like Odunze will be suiting up, and that's good news for the Bears as they need their top receiver on the field. The Panthers have a solid secondary, and Odunze may be one of the few players on the Bears that can create separation.
The Bears also have an injury on defense, with Xavier Woods dealing with a groin issue.
“Bears starting safety Xavier Woods (groin) is considered a game-time decision but there’s optimism he’ll be able to play, per source,” ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote on X.
This should be a good matchup between two young teams that were able to make the playoffs last season. They're both looking to keep that momentum rolling into this season, and it'll be interesting to see how they fare as the year goes on.