Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher could miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a hamstring injury, striking a blow to a Chicago Bears team that is clinging to a playoff spot.
Urlacher confirmed the diagnosis on Tuesday in an interview with FOX Chicago, saying doctors told him he could be out "two to four weeks, three, could be four."
According to the Chicago Tribune, sources said that Urlacher is expected to miss at leas tthree games and could be out the rest of the regular season because the injury is a Grade 2 right hamstring strain.
The linebacker said that if the Chicago Bears make the playoffs, he will be ready to return. "100 percent, yes," he said, according to ESPN.com. The first round of the playoffs begin the weekend of Jan. 5-6.
Urlacher was hurt on the second-to-last snap of Sunday's overtime loss to Seattle and was replaced by Nick Roach, who will likely get his fourth career start at middle linebacker on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Geno Hayes is likely to start at strong-side linebacker, while the Bears also signed linebacker Dom DeCicco for some extra depth. DeCicco played in every game last year for the Bears and ranked second on the team with 17 special teams tackles.
The Chicago Tribune spoke to Gus Gialamas, an orthopedic surgeon from Sea View Orthopedic Medical Group in San Clemente, Calif., who said the injury could take up to a month to heal properly.
"Grade 2 means it's not a complete rupture, but it's a partial rupture,'' Gialamas said. "It takes a while -- maybe a week to 10 days -- for the inflammation to stop. That muscle then has to heal, and then you have a lot of physical therapy for strengthening and stretching. The goal is to avoid as much scar tissue in the hamstring as possible. I'm thinking he would be lucky to come back in four weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer than that. It's just a tough injury.''
Urlacher has made 68 tackles this season with two forced fumbles and one interception. He has also scored a touchdown and has one pass defended. Against the Seahawks on Sunday he tied a season-high with eight tackles and also forced a fumble. On Nov. 14 against Tennessee, he had a 46-yard return for a touchdown in the 51-20 win for the Bears.
After the loss on Sunday, the Bears are now in the fifth playoff spot in the NFC. Green Bay is one game ahead in the NFC North with an 8-4 record, while Seattle, Dallas, Washington and Minnesota are lurking close behind. Chicago has lost three of the last four games.
The final four games for the Bears include matchups against the Vikings (6-6), Packers (8-4), Cardinals (4-8), and Lions (4-8). The only home game is against the Packers.
Chicago will likely have to win two of the final four games to stay in the playoffs and needs the defense to continue playing at a high level. The team has 20 interceptions his season and leads the NFL in defensive touchdowns with seven.
Urlacher dealt with knee issues in the preseason after having arthroscopic surgery in August, but did not miss any playing time in the regular season. The longtime Bear is aging and has an expiring contract, which means last week against Seattle could be the last time he plays in a Bears uniform if the team does not make the playoffs.
"I do not think that's going to happen," he told the TV station. "But, if it does, I have had a really good and long career so I would be sad, but I would not be crushed."
Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. spoke to ESPN.com writer Kevin Seifert and said he feels that the Bears will be able to overcome the loss of Urlacher.
"By no means is he as explosive or does he move as well as he once did," Williamson said to ESPN.com. "He is now a liability in coverage when asked to play Tampa 2, where he has to cover a lot of ground in the deep middle. The Bears are no longer a real heavy Cover 2 team -- and Urlacher's decline probably has something to do with that. I don't think he is a huge loss overall. They will get by."
Urlacher is considered to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL and won AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. He has been named to eight Pro Bowls in his career and has made the All-Pro team five different times, including in 2005-2006.