The final injury report for the week came out today, and the big names being watched are Jaylon Johnson, Darnell Mooney, and the biggest being Roquan Smith. Jaylon Johnson was limited in practice all week and and is listed as Questionable. Darnell Mooney and Roquan Smith did not practice all week, and are also listed as questionable, making them game-time decisions. Another issue is Smith’s replacement from last week, Josh Woods, is also listed as questionable. The reason Roquan Smith’s injury is the most worrisome is due to the Saints having Alvin Kamara back in the fold for the playoff game on Sunday. One of the top two receiving backs in the league, Alvin Kamara is a tough cover for any linebacker. Mostly due to his elusiveness and speed. Roquan Smith is a very quick linebacker, and a great decision maker. Having him on the field changes your dynamic in a big way. Not having him, well you go from a pretty good defense, to aggressively mediocre. Not only was Roquan Smith snubbed from a First Team All-Pro selection this season (he was named to the second team), he was also a Pro Bowl snub. You would hope that would be motivation to show up big in a playoff game, however that is looking less and less likely he will be healthy enough to go. Brad Biggs reported the speculation of the injury was a dislocated elbow, obviously the Bears are being mum on the severity and what the actual injury is. Even in Roquan could play, having a brace on the elbow and trying to wrap up Alvin Kamara or Latavius Murray, would be a tough task.

The more encouraging news is Jaylon Johnson returning to practice as the 2nd corner. He has been missing, and it has been very noticeable. Kindle Vildor has been on an island by himself, having Duke Shelley try to help him. If Jaylon Johnson is able to return, he will have a tough day, most likely being lined up across Michael Thomas a majority of the game. That’s not easy to come back to after a long layoff. The Bears will need to not only need to figure out coverage for Alvin Kamara, but they need safety help on both Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The real wild card is going to be Duke Shelley lining up with Tre’Quan Smith in the slot, Smith is very elusive and smart in the Saints system. The Bears defense is in for a long afternoon no matter who is healthy against the juggernaut Saints offense.

Darnell Mooney is nursing an ankle injury after extending a play against Green Bay and taking a tough hit from Adrian Amos. He also has not practiced but is listed as questionable. Not having a speed guy in the offense is going to prove very tough for the screen game the Bears offense loves. The likely next man up is going to be Anthony Miller, with Riley Ridley being activated, and Javon Wims becoming the slot receiver. The Bears will need to offset the potential absence of Mooney, by having a successful run game. That could be hoping on hope, as the Saints defense has been very good this year. The Saints only allowed 3.9 YPC in the regular season, ranking 4th in the league. They also faced the 5th fewest amount of rushing attempts due to how well they play the run.

Sunday in New Orleans isn’t going to be easy, and Matt Nagy seemed uncomfortable answering questions about adjusting without Roquan Smith. He knows the gravity of the situation, and is hoping Chuck Pagano can figure out something in the biggest game of the year. We know this isn’t going to be fun to watch, but hey, its the playoffs, anything can happen!