Bears Contingency Plan Waiting for Vikings

The Bears are caught between their game plan and their contingency plan.

Which way they go all depends on whether Justin Jefferson's hamstring is deemed well enough for a start against them on Monday night.

Jefferson's week of practice went by with all limited practices and it's questionable whether he'll come off injured reserve to face them. They may not know until 90 minutes before the game, which is when they usually find out.

"Coach will come tell us, like, 'hey, he's up' or 'he's down,' but we're going to prepare like he's playing," safety Eddie Jackson said.

It would mean the Bears didn't face Jefferson this season if he doesn't play because he suffered the injury against the Chargers in the game before the Bears played them in Week 6.

"We'll see if Jefferson's in or not," Eberflus said. "Certainly they didn't have him last time. We have a contingency plan for that if he is.

"I know he's been limited all week. We'll see where it goes."

Eberflus said they're on top of what's being said in Minneapolis, where coach Kevin O'Connell has been saying all week that he's looking more long-term plan for Jefferson so they have him back the rest of the year. That would seeem to indicate they want to give him this week off and then bring him back after their bye week.

"You're always mindful of what the other team is doing and saying," Eberflus said. "You always have people monitor that or people that monitor that and give you back the news and what's been said during the course of the week. I think everybody does that.

"We'll see where it is. Certainly a great player. One of the best receivers in the business. We've worked on if he is and if he isn't (playing). We’ll be ready.

"I think you just have to prepare that he's gonna be in there. I think you have to prepare that he's in there and if he's not you just adjust accordingly."

The real issue for the Bears in terms of Jefferson's possible return is who could be facing him. Starting cornerback Tyrique Stevenson injured his ankle Saturday at practice and they have listed him as questionable for the game.

Terell Smith looks like a possible starter. After missing five weeks due to mono, he returned and played against Detroit in a reserve role last week. Stevenson has an 86.3 passer rating against and 52.6% completions allowed when targeted according to Sportradar.

"He's mature beyond his years," Eberflus said. "He takes things in stride. He takes coaching really well. So coach (Jon) Hoke's a really good corners coach for a long time, and he's done that for a while.

"He (Smith) really soaks everything in. He's technique-sound, fundamentally sound and he's got really good speed. We like his size (6-foot, 207), being able to play against bigger receivers. That's kind of a trend in the league, those big-type receivers. He does a good job against those guys."

The Bears aren't complaining about Stevenson, even if he has had an up-and-down year as a starter.

"They’re going to test your water and see what it's like, and I think he’s responded," Eberflus said. "He's had some battles. He's lost some of those battles. He's won a good portion of those.

"The biggest thing with him is you have to learn. You have to keep learning and put it in your file so you become a better pro. What's really good about him is he plays one play at a time. He flushes the play and goes to the next one, good bad or indifferent. That’s what you have to be as a corner—you have to have a short memory and keep moving. Every single week it's a different set. Every single down it's a different set of people you're covering."

And Monday night it might be Justin Jefferson he's covering, or it might not, or it might not even be Stevenson doing the covering.

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