LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze said he plans to play in Saturday’s NFL playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.

Odunze made the assertion and then slowly backed away from a full guarantee, considering coaches prefer to use uncertainty as a competitive advantage. No reason to get coach Ben Johnson angry right now. Odunze couched his claim, saying he has been planning to play for weeks.

But, if we’re reading between the lines here, it sure seems like, barring a setback, Odunze will play in the NFC wild-card round contest at Soldier Field.

The second-year pro has had setbacks before. He aggravated a stress fracture in his foot during pregame warmups prior to a Week 15 clash with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears essentially shut him down at that point and gave him a new target.

Work to be ready for the playoffs.

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“Everything’s been focused on that. Everything, honestly,” Odunze said after Wednesday’s practice. “All my energy, my focus, my attitude has been on that mark. Trying to get back as soon as possible. That was, like I said earlier, kind of changed to different weeks, time to time. When I got to an understanding with the training staff that this would be my benchmark, I put all my energy and effort into that. Excited for this week.”

Odzune missed five consecutive games with his foot injury, but he had been dealing with heel and ankle issues most of the season. That led to some lackluster totals for the Bears’ No. 1 receiver, with just 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns. He was cruising to start the season, but the injuries sapped his effectiveness down the stretch.

He plans to be back now, when it matters most. It’s fair to wonder about how much he can contribute, considering his prolonged absences from games and practices. Odunze has worked on conditioning, but it’s impossible to remain in peak football shape after missing so much practice.

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“I can definitely provide an asset to this offense,” Odunze said. “It’s tough being out for five weeks and having to be on the sideline and have all that happen and go through that, the ups and downs of the season and not being able to contribute. As long as I have the option to be out there and contribute, I’m going to give it my all. I believe I can make a difference.”

The Bears won’t expect him to assume his typical workload, where he rarely leaves the field. They’ve been fortunate to receive standout contributions from DJ Moore, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Cole Kmet in Odunze’s absence.

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Odunze, last year’s No. 9 overall draft pick, can make big plays for Chicago, as he has so many times this year. The coaching staff will formulate a plan for effective usage based upon how Odunze looks in practice.

“You don’t want to be giving him way too much, and yet, he’s a guy that can help us, and so we’ll be evaluating that over the next, you know, three days of practice, as we get to kind of finalize this plan and put that stuff together,” Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “Anytime that he can be a part of it, certainly want to be able to use him and maximize the time that he’s out in the field and get him the ball, but really, it’s the same with all of our players. We always have plays for each guy specifically, and you know, we’re excited to have him back.”

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Limitations should be expected but tolerated. Getting Odunze back on the field would be a huge boon for the Bears, as someone who must be respected by the Packers’ defense on every snap.

“I’m looking to be out there as much as possible,” Odunze said. “Make as many plays as I can. At the end of the day, it’s all or nothing for this game to make it to the Super Bowl until the end of the season. I want to contribute as much as possible and put everything that I have out there on the field. That’s my mentality.”

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