Wide receiver Allen Robinson said he expects to return to the Chicago Bears‘ lineup when they visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night after missing the past three games because of a hamstring injury.
“That’s the plan,” he said Thursday. “Everything is trending in the right direction.”
With quarterback Justin Fields set to return after missing back-to-back games because of broken ribs, the Bears (4-8) could have two key players back as they try to stop their slide and pick up a rare win against QBAaron Rodgers and the Packers.
Chicago has dropped six of seven games after losing to Arizona last week. And the Bears’ record against the Packers in recent years is abysmal. Green Bay has won 20 of the past 23 matchups and has a five-game winning streak in the series.
Robinson has not played since Nov. 8, when he was hurt as he got pushed out of bounds on a 39-yard reception late in a loss at Pittsburgh. That big play helped set up a go-ahead touchdown pass from Fields to Darnell Mooney. But Chicago lost after the Steelers’ Chris Boswell kicked a field goal in the final minute.
The injury added to what was already a difficult year for Robinson. The veteran was also bothered by an ankle injury and has just 30 receptions for 339 yards, a huge drop following one of his best seasons.
Robinson was hoping for a multiyear deal after catching a career-high 102 passes for 1,250 yards. That didn’t happen, and he’s playing under the franchise tag instead.
“Seasons like this are tough,” Robinson said. “They’re extremely tough. But being able to compartmentalize all of it, putting certain things to the side and trying to focus on the main thing, continuing to improve, figuring out how to get better, figuring out how to possibly change the result and figuring out how to continue to put yourself in a position to ultimately do what you want to do, and that’s win the game. It’s tough when you have seasons like this. But again, the season’s not over.”