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Chicago Bears QB Andy Dalton went down with an injury to his knee in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. After suffering the injury during the early moments of Sunday’s game, Dalton tried to tough it out for another drive or two before calling it quits. That gave Justin Fields the reins of the offense for the first time in the regular season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that after a preliminary test, Dalton’s leg appears to have no ligament damage. Essentially what that means is there was no major injury that will require surgery based on what doctors first evaluated.
More on #Bears QB Andy Dalton: The initial exams did show no ACL tear and no damage to the MCL, source said. MRI today, but the early diagnosis of bone bruise would show he dodged major injury. That would be good news considering what it looked like at first glance.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2021
The NFL insider said that Dalton will still undergo an MRI later on Monday to be sure. The early likelihood is that Dalton just suffered a bone bruise. Still, that could keep him out of the lineup for a little bit.
Fantasy football implications
A bone bruise is not fun, but it’s far better than a torn ACL or MCL. Though the injury is not likely to be season-ending, it will still probably keep Dalton out for a few weeks. Fields will get his chance to run the show, which is what Bears fans had been clamoring for since the start of the season.
If he plays well during his interim role as the starter, then Dalton might not see the field again in 2021.