Injury Report & Implications: Philadelphia at Chicago
INJURY REPORT AND IMPLICATIONS
Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) at Chicago Bears (4-5)
By
Michael Nudo
The Eagles will miss Brian Westbrook on Sunday night (AP Photo/Chris Park).
BEARS OFFENSE vs. EAGLES DEFENSE
With reserve running back Garrett Wolfe (kidney) sidelined, Matt Forte is likely to get few breathers from backup Adrian Peterson. Left tackle Orlando Pace is expected to play after getting knocked out of last week’s game. If things change, Kevin Schaffer will get the nod. Tight end Desmond Clark (neck) having a difficult time making improvement. He’s a tough player and rarely misses action. Center Olin Kreutz (back) missed some practice time but is expected to play. If he has to come out, left guard Josh Beekman will slide over to center, with Frank Omiyale returning to guard.
Linebacker Moise Fokou has been starting at strong side linebacker since Akeem Jordan (knee) has been out. The Eagles have already lost linebackers Stewart Bradley and Omar Gaither for the season to injury. Cornerback Sheldon Brown (hamstring) is making progress and might be ready to go. Injuries to safeties Quintin Demps (ankle) and Macho Harris (eye) further thin out the Eagles’ secondary.
Look for the Eagles to use their pressuring defense to take attention away from their injured secondary. They’ll want to force Jay Cutler into hurried throws and costly mistakes. Jay Cutler has struggled in night games, but is playing at home. Defensive end Trent Cole bears watching in his matchup with Orlando Pace.
EAGLES OFFENSE vs. BEARS DEFENSE
Running back Brian Westbrook is a key element of the Eagles’ offense. He suffered another concussion last week and isn’t expected to play. His season and career may be in jeopardy. Rookie LeSean McCoy stands to get plenty of looks the rest of the way. He’s the kind of shifty runner that could cause problems for the Bears if they have breakdowns in their discipline. Todd Herremans has been playing left tackle while Jason Peters has been out with an ankle injury. Peters is expected to be ready for Sunday night. Wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee) is out. Rookie Jeremy Maclin has 18 catches for 220 yards and 2 TDs over the last 4 games.
The Bears are hoping to get strong safety Al Afalava (shoulder) back into the lineup. Backup Kevin Payne (back), however, is not making progress. Cornerback Zack Bowman left last week’s game with an abdominal injury but is expected to return. The skeleton crew is already in at linebacker, where Hillenmeyer and Roach are in with Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa out for the season.
Which Bears’ defense will show up on Sunday night? Will it be the team that held the Niners well in check or will it be the defense that was roasted by the Cardinals and Bengals? Look for the Eagles to throw, throw and throw some more. Don’t sleep on DeSean Jackson. The diminutive wideout is a game breaker on offense as well as special teams. Holding him in check should be a major focus for Sunday night.