Bears
Bears CB Kyler Gordon recently suffered a groin injury in warmups, which came shortly after he was activated from injured reserve. Chicago HC Ben Johnson said he’s unsure if Gordon will play again this season, via Scott Bair.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said LB Jack Campbell reminds him of former Panthers LB Luke Kuechly .
“ Just being at New Orleans, as a coach for that period of time and watching Kuechly out there. Now Kuechly, for a linebacker, had rare speed. But as far as all the other stuff, there’s a lot of similarities, ” Campbell said, via theteam’s website. “ Freaking smart, he knows what’s coming before it’s there, high energy, never gets tired. Freaking runs all the way down the field, runs back to the huddle, gets everybody lined up. He’s constantly barking out communication, going after the football. You may get him once. You’re not going to get him twice. So, there’s those things that show up. They show up .”
Campbell added that his star linebacker is the heart of the team’s defense and is the glue that keeps the unit together.
“ Well, I mean, I don’t know if you can put it into words. He’s extremely valuable, ” Campbell said. “ He doesn’t come off the field, he’s our bell-cow, green-dot. And the guy is smart and he’s instinctive and he is snap-to-whistle all-out, all the time, in practice too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off, he goes after the football, he’s a ball guy. So, he’s invaluable. “
Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad has quietly put together a stellar season opposite of DE Aidan Hutchinson , leading the team at nine sacks to Hutchinson’s 8.5.
“ We felt like getting him on the edge opposite of Hutch on some stuff, ” Campbell said of Muhammad’s increased reps against the Cowboys. “ He had some early production too, so you’re just going to keep going back to the well there. But he did a great job. I mean he does anything you ask him to do, and he cares about it, and he works at it and whatever you need, he’ll do. So, proud of him. He helped us win that game the other day. “
Packers WR Christian Watson recorded four receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns in Week 14’s win over the Bears. When appearing on The Pat McAfee Show , Packers QB Jordan Love said Watson’s return from injury gives them a player with big-play ability.
“The biggest part of our offense is finding those explosive plays,” Love said. “We got some big-time playmakers. Since Christian’s been back and gotten healthy, he’s been stepping up and making some huge plays. . . . Just the speed he has, his ability to create those yards after the catch is something not a lot of guys can do.”
