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Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson is in the NFL’s concussion protocol after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit (from behind) against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. Robinson missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, leaving the Bears unsure whether their star receiver will take the field against the Saints on Sunday.
“It’s like a lot of these other teams when they lose a star player on any side of the ball – it’s always gonna hurt you,” head coach Matt Nagy said. “Because you look at it from the defensive perspective, there’s a lot of games that we go into where these teams gotta change their game plan as to how they’re gonna play against him. And so, from our end, when we’re talking about scheming, we have to make sure that we’re scheming for both sides of it. We have to be prepared that he is playing. And then we’ve got to be prepared that he’s not playing.”
A Bears offense without Robinson is a spooky thought, which is fitting this time of year. A-Rob is the Bears’ highest-graded player on offense, per Pro Football Focus, and is by far the most targeted pass-catcher in Chicago this season. Robinson’s 70 targets are 28 more than the next closest Bear (Jimmy Graham, 42).
If Robinson misses Sunday’s game, expect rookie Darnell Mooney to be a bigger factor. He’s been close — really close — to some field-flipping plays over the last few weeks and a breakout performance could be coming in a more featured role.
The Bears and Saints kick off at 4:25 p.m. EST on Sunday from Soldier Field.