Sometimes, it just isn’t your day. That’s how the Chicago Bears matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday started for former Washington Huskies star wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Not only did he fumble on his first touch of the game, but the No. 9 overall pick in April’s draft put the ball on the ground again on his second.
While quarterback Caleb Williams was credited for the first fumble on a handoff to Odunze, the 2023 consensus All-American bobbled the ball on a jet sweep, which was recovered by the Lions and turned into 7 points for Detroit.
“I’m not sure, honestly, I’ll have to go back and watch the film,” Odunze said after the game when asked what happened on the exchange. “I’ve just got to secure it before I run.”
The second fumble came when coach Dan Campbell’s defense swarmed Odunze on what would have been a 19-yard gain on a screen play. However, Lions defender Mitchell Agude came in and punched the ball out from behind, which Detroit turned into a field goal.
Those struggles may have gotten to plenty of player throughout the league, but not Odunze. For the man that didn’t miss a single game after suffering a broken ribs and punctured lung for the Huskies in 2023, the word quit is simply not in his vocabulary.
“I’m not going out there trying to make up for anything,” he said. “I just play the next play and try and do my job on the next down and I think when you do that things come to you and plays come to you.”
Odunze put the tough first quarter behind him and showed why general manager Ryan Poles made the right decision to select him. Just three minutes into the second quarter, Williams connected with Odunze over the middle for 15 yards on third and eight while fighting through a pass interference call against Lions safety Brian Branch.
On that same drive, on a crucial fourth down play, Odunze hauled in a diving catch for 13 yards to extend a drive that ended in a touchdown pass from Williams to tight end Cole Kmet.
And, just like that the woes of the first quarter were behind the rookie, who finished his day second on the team in receiving yards, only behind Pro Bowler Keenan Allen.
In the third quarter, he showed of his quintessential self on another fourth down conversion when Williams sailed a pass down the sideline and on a 50/50 back-shoulder ball, Odunze did what he does best, and came down with a contested catch.
The two-time All-Pac-12 First Team honoree wound up with 4 receptions on 7 targets for 77 yards and the two critical fourth down conversions in a 34-17 loss to the NFC North-leading Lions.
In a roller coaster of a game, the best players find ways to overcome adversity, which is exactly what Odunze did on Sunday. His history has shown that his first quarter was nothing more than an anomaly and shouldn’t keep him from his promising future.