NFC North

The Chicago Bears listed wide receiver Allen Robinson as doubtful for Sunday's Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens because of a hamstring injury.

The 28-year-old has dealt with injury concerns at times throughout his career. He played just one game in 2017 because of a torn ACL and missed time in 2018 with groin and rib issues.

Still, Robinson appeared in all 16 games last year and tallied 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. He was a bright spot in the team's offense but has struggled with consistency in 2021 on his way to 30 receptions for 339 yards and one score across nine appearances.

The Bears have often struggled to score even when the Penn State product is healthy and on the field during his time with the team, so doing so without him will be a significant challenge.

With Robinson sidelined, it will be up to Darnell Mooney, Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd to take over at the wide receiver position. Expect tight ends Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet to be even more involved in the aerial attack as well.

Not having their top receiver available is a key setback for a Bears team needing a surge in the second half of the regular season following a 3-6 start.

Khalil Mack's season is over.

The Chicago Bears outside linebacker has been placed on injured reserve and will have season-ending surgery on his foot, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Mack first appeared on the injury report with the foot ailment in Week 4. He played through it until missing matchups against the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers in Weeks 8 and 9.

The six-time Pro Bowler finishes the season with six sacks, one fumble recovery, 19 tackles, six tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits.

Mack had played 47 straight games for the Bears before being sidelined for Week 8. The only other time he missed games for Chicago was in 2018 when he had an ankle injury.

With Mack sidelined, the Bears will rely more on Trevis Gipson. This will also put more pressure on Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith and Alec Ogletree. 

Even with Mack, the Bears were unlikely to make the playoffs, as they are 3-6 entering Week 11. 

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Tim Boyle will make his first NFL start if Jared Goff misses Sunday's road game against the Cleveland Browns with an oblique injury.

Campbell told reporters Goff, who's feeling better and hasn't been ruled out, is going to throw Friday before a decision about the team's Week 11 starting quarterback is finalized.

Goff was officially listed as doubtful for the matchup.

Goff suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Lions' 16-16 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but he finished the game. He missed the first two practice sessions this week.

"I don't want to sit up here and say I was hurt and whatever and make excuses," Goff said after the game. "It was bothering me, but I felt like I could compete and throw fine, and I felt like I did. I don't feel like it was a hindrance at any point."

The two-time Pro Bowl selection has struggled in his first year with Detroit after being acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade that sent fellow quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams.

Goff has completed 66.1 percent of his throws for 2,109 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions through nine games. He ranks last among the 33 qualified signal-callers in ESPN's Total QBR (27.2) and owns a poor 59.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Boyle went undrafted out of Eastern Kentucky in 2018. After three years with the Green Bay Packers, he signed with the Lions in March.

The 27-year-old Connecticut native received extremely limited playing time behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, completing three of his four career pass attempts, all of which came in a November 2019 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

More recently, Boyle has been on injured reserve since September because of a thumb injury, but the Lions designated him to return this week, giving them a 21-day window to put him back on the active roster.

Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said they wouldn't change their approach if Boyle was thrust into the starting role, per Chris Burke of The Athletic.

"It definitely doesn't close any of the playbook," Lynn said. "He can handle it all. He's just been out for a while."

Whether it's Goff or Boyle, the Lions' passing attack will need to take advantage of a Browns defense that has allowed the third-most passing touchdowns (21) and the eighth-highest opponent passer rating (101.6) if Detroit is going to pick up its first win of the campaign.

As linebacker Khalil Mack remains out while dealing with a foot injury, the Chicago Bears are reportedly adding a veteran edge rusher.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Chicago has signed linebacker Bruce Irvin, who hasn't played in the NFL since Week 2 of the 2020 season.

Irvin began his career in 2012 with the Seattle Seahawks, who selected him with the 15th overall pick in that year's draft. The 34-year-old has also played for the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He's coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in the second game last year.

In 121 career games, Irvin has 290 total tackles, 52 sacks and and 16 forced fumbles. He played 13 games for the Panthers in 2019 and recorded 8.5 sacks.

Mack missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. He's sat out the past two games due to his foot injury, and the team's bye week in Week 10 didn't look to be enough for him to fully recover.

The Bears are dealing with multiple injuries. Wide receiver Allen Robinson and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks were both banged up in Chicago's Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Safety Eddie Jackson, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8, returned to practice on Thursday in a limited capacity.

The Bears (3-6) are on a four-game losing streak. They will look to end their skid on Sunday at home against the Baltimore Ravens.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said he's in favor of the NFL's controversial decision to emphasize enforcement of taunting penalties during the 2021 season.

Nagy explained he believes there's a difference between having fun or showing emotion after a big play and crossing a line toward showing up the opponent, and it's important to send the right message to kids watching the game in that regard, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk:

People watch, and people want to see a little bit of respect and a little bit of doing things the right way. It doesn't mean you can't have fun, but there's young kids right now that are watching games, and what happens is you go to one of these sporting events and you might see some imitation going on that's taking it over the top. I'm a firm believer in respect and just kids growing and watching, and we have a huge platform as leaders. Players and coaches. Let's understand what the rules are, let's do it the right way. Let's still have fun—these guys are still having fun and not taunting. You can still have a great time. But let's stay within the rules as we do it.

The Bears were thrust into the taunting spotlight after linebacker Cassius Marsh received a 15-year penalty for his celebration after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Week 9.

Marsh did his typical spinning jump-kick after the sack, but then briefly stared down the Steelers' sideline. Afterward, there was contact between the Bears defender and referee Tony Corrente, who was reaching for his flag to call the penalty.

"On my way to the sideline, I got hip-checked by the ref. It's pretty clear," Marsh told reporters. "If I was to do that to a ref or even touch a ref, we get kicked out of the game and possibly suspended and fined. I just think that that was incredibly inappropriate."

Marsh, who's appealed a $5,972 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of the taunting call, continued to question the penalty on social media:

Nagy didn't reference the linebacker directly in his comments about the taunting rule, but he took responsibility for not doing a better job of informing his team about the enforcement standards, per Smith.

"It's our job to do it the right way," the Bears coach said. "You've got to understand the rule. I need to do my job to teach that to the players so that they understand it, and understand these are the rules. We can't change that."

Chicago returns from its Week 10 bye on Sunday when it hosts the Baltimore Ravens at Soldier Field.

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills has refuted comments from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suggested some of the league's COVID-19 protocols aren't grounded in science.

Sills told reporters Wednesday the league is "comfortable" with its coronavirus guidelines, and he believes they are working as intended:

We've been very consistent. First of all, these are things that we decided collectively with the [NFLPA]. They're always based on science. The science that at best we understand for public health, but also our own data. We are constantly looking at our own data in every way possible, to see where we might still be vulnerable and what parts of our protocols we think are particularly effective. So, we're very comfortable with what we've put in place being driven by our data and is working.

Rodgers, who's unvaccinated, missed Nov. 7's game against the Kansas City Chiefs after he tested positive for COVID-19. He completed a 10-day quarantine before returning to action Sunday in a 17-0 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

The three-time NFL MVP appeared on the Pat McAfee Show before the Chiefs game to explain his vaccination decision and laid out why he felt the league's protocols "aren't based on science at all:"

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley raised similar concerns in August when the league was preparing its plans for the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, the NFL sent a memo to its 32 teams Tuesday that laid out updated guidance surrounding the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, which includes mandatory mask-wearing for all players and staff members from Nov. 25 through Dec. 1 and COVID-19 tests on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.

The league is trying to avoid situations like it had last season, when several games were postponed either for a few days or to a different week on the schedule because of coronavirus outbreaks.

Sills noted the NFL's internal data continues to show that the COVID-19 vaccines are effective in the fight against the virus:

I know sometimes people see cases and say, 'Well, if they are positive cases, the vaccines must not be working.' We have to always be reminded that the vaccines are designed to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. And they continue to do an outstanding job with that.

In addition to that, unvaccinated players have consistently tested players at a much higher rate than vaccinated players. Throughout the entire season, that's...since we started back in July. It's clear that the vaccines are providing substantial benefits—milder illness, shorter duration and a lack of spread around the building.

While some players have missed games because of the COVID-19 protocols, the league hasn't been forced to adjust its schedule through the first 10 weeks. The question is whether that will continue, with cases rising nationwide and more person-to-person interaction expected during the holiday season.

Week 11 kicks off Thursday night, when the Atlanta Falcons host the New England Patriots.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers popped up on the injury report after missing Wednesday's practice, but it doesn't appear to be too serious.

Rodgers acknowledged a toe injury he suffered while in COVID-19 isolation could keep him out of practice for the rest of the week, but he said he doesn't expect to miss Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"I'm not sure what my status will be tomorrow or Friday, but I'd like to get out there if I'm feeling good enough," Rodgers told reporters. "But it's definitely a better week than last week being separated [during the quarantine], being able to go through all the meetings. I plan on being at practice on the field tomorrow, not sure how much involvement I'll do though."

Rodgers missing practice is not an ideal situation for the Packers. Despite Green Bay's Week 10 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the offense struggled to move the ball and Rodgers didn't look like his usual self in his return from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said he believes Rodgers and the rest of the offense need time on the practice field to clean up some mistakes.

"We gotta get back out on the practice field," LaFleur said earlier this week. "We need those guys just to continue to work on the timing portion, making sure that the details of our route depths and our assignments are on point because I think right now if you just look at the offense as a whole, there is opportunity out there for us."

Rodgers threw for 292 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the 17-0 win over Seattle. While he admitted there was some sloppy play on offense throughout the game, he didn't believe timing was an issue in particular.

"It's more little details," Rodgers said. "If you watch the film back, we had multiple mental errors and just little detail things that we didn't do very well, and those need to get cleaned up for sure. As far as the timing, I don't know if there was a lot of timing issues that we had, it was more of the details and in the schematics that we didn't do very well on Sunday."

The 8-2 Packers are far ahead in the NFC North, as the second-place Vikings are 4-5. With the Chicago Bears (3-6) and Detroit Lions (0-8-1) struggling this season, it looks like Green Bay will cruise to a division title for the third straight year.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers downplayed the toe problem that landed him on the team's injury report.

During an appearance Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show, the nine-time Pro Bowler declined to specify how he hurt his toe. He said his injured appendage is "a little painful" but shouldn't cause any major problems going forward. 

After he missed their Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers activated Rodgers from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to playing the Seattle Seahawks. Some were surprised to see he had suffered a toe injury during his week away from the team.

Rodgers didn't have a sterling performance against Seattle, going 23-of-37 for 292 yards and one interception. But he at least fared better than his counterpart, Russell Wilson (20-of-40, 161 yards, two interceptions).

Green Bay is back in action Sunday in a road game with the Minnesota Vikings, and it looks like the team doesn't need to be concerned with having to make a quarterback change.

That's good news because Jordan Love struggled mightily in his first regular-season start. He threw for 190 yards and had a 27.3 QBR against the Chiefs, per ESPN.com.

Following Sunday's 16-16 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell isn't looking to make a change at quarterback right now. 

Speaking to reporters, Campbell said Jared Goff is "the guy that gives us the best chance" to win games. 

Campbell added that he didn't give any serious consideration to benching Goff amid his struggles against the Steelers. 

"If I felt like there was no way that he could function, then I would (have taken him out)," he said. "But I didn’t feel that way yesterday."

Campbell could have justified replacing Goff in the game because of injury. The two-time Pro Bowler told reporters Sunday he was dealing with "probably a strained oblique."

"Just kind of nagged me a little bit throughout the game," said Goff. "I thought I was fine to stay in there. I felt like it didn't affect me through the game. It'll be a little sore tomorrow, but I'll be fine.

The Lions acquired Goff in March as part of the Matthew Stafford trade with the Los Angeles Rams. His transition has been anything but smooth to this point. The 27-year-old is completing 66.1 percent of his attempts, but his yards per game (234.1) is on pace to be the fewest since his rookie season. 

Goff's 2.4 touchdown percentage is tied with Trevor Lawrence for the second-worst in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts. He only threw for 112 passing yards (11 in the first half) on 25 attempts against the Steelers. 

Detroit (0-8-1) is the only team in the NFL without a win. The team is winless in its last 13 games dating back to Week 14 of last season. 

David Blough is the only other quarterback on the Lions' active roster. The Purdue alum started five games during the 2019 season when Stafford was out with spinal fractures. He did play four snaps in the 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8. 

The Lions will take on the Cleveland Browns (5-5) at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday.