Matt Forte doesn’t sound like he’ll be playing for the Bears again this year.
Forte, who suffered a sprained MCL two weeks ago, won’t play today against the Seahawks and says he doesn’t think it’s realistic to think he could play next week against the Packers, either.
“I’m nowhere near 100 percent,” Forte told ESPNChicago.com. “So it’s not looking good for next week, I know that.”
If the Bears lose to the Seahawks and the Packers they could be eliminated from playoff contention before Week 17, so it’s entirely possible that Forte’s season is over. Forte says the Bears won’t have him in the playoffs unless they can get there without him.
“A lot of people were speculating about Christmas Day [against the Packers] and things like that,” Forte said. “But my mindset is, realistically, playoffs would be the only thing that I would really have my mind set on.”
And as for any thought that Forte would risk his health to get back on the field before he’s 100 percent, well, Forte doesn’t sound like he’s in the mood to put his future on the line for a team that has consistently refused to give him the kind of contract he believes he has earned.
“I’m not going to really go out there and play unless I’m 100 percent and I can run straight ahead and sprint and make cuts, because as a running back you have to make people miss,” Forte said. “You can’t just take on hits and get pounded on. You’ll have more injuries to rehab.”
And the injury Forte is rehabbing now is enough.