Bears get bad Cole Kmet injury update for Week 17

In what could be Justin Fields’ final game at Soldier Field, the Bears polarizing 3rd-year QB may be without a couple of his top targets this Sunday when Chicago hosts the Atlanta Falcons. Not only is Darnell Mooney on the injury report as he remains in concussion protocol, he’s joined by tight end Cole Kmet, according to the Chicago Bears PR Twitter account.

Cole Kmet, who had his first career 100-yard receiving game last week against the Arizona Cardinals before suffering a knee injury that forced him to depart the Bears win early, is currently second on the Bears in receiving yards (678), touchdowns (6) and receptions (70), trailing newly-acquired wide receiving DJ Moore in all three categories. Both in terms of his raw numbers and his overall play and presence on the field, Kmet has come along very nicely in his four years in Chicago, establishing himself as a top-half-of-the-league tight end and a legitimate building block for a Bears offense that is still in desperate need of high-quality skill position players. There’s good reason why Kmet received a four-year contract extension before the 2023 season began.

It’s only Wednesday afternoon, so there’s plenty of time for Kmet’s status to improve between now and Sunday, when the Falcons come to Chicago. After defeating the Indianapolis Colts last week on Christmas Eve, Atlanta is still clinging to hope that a playoff berth may be in the cards, and Arthur Smith’s job may depend on it. Even the Bears, who are only 6-9, are still barely mathematically alive for a Playoff berth.