Bears coach Matt Nagy declines to provide injury updates on Mooney, Smith

Bears coach Matt Nagy declined to provide an injury update on linebacker Roquan Smith and receiver Darnell Mooney.

Both players suffered injuries on Sunday in a 35-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Smith injured his elbow in the first quarter, while Mooney suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Neither player returned to Sunday’s game following his injury.

“Those two guys, right now, they’re both playing at an extremely high level,” Nagy said Monday. “One being a rookie, the other one being somebody that might be playing as well on defense as any defensive player in the NFL.”

Nagy said the Bears wouldn’t provide any updates on Smith or Mooney until Wednesday’s injury report is released.

[Read more: The Bears could be in trouble if Smith remains out next week]

Smith hurt his left elbow while rushing through the middle of the Packers’ offensive line late in the first quarter. He spent the remainder of the game on the bench with a sleeve or brace on his elbow.

Smith has been arguably the Bears’ best defender in 2020. He missed out on a Pro Bowl bid, but finished sixth in the NFL regular season with 139 total tackles. He led the Bears with 18 tackles for loss this season.

Mooney hurt his ankle early in the fourth quarter after catching a pass from quarterback Mitch Trubisky and trying to make something happen. Mooney evaded a couple of Packers defenders before taking a hard hit from Packers safety Adrian Amos.

[Read more: Bears WR Darnell Mooney just played his best game ... then he hurt his ankle]

After remaining on the field for several minutes, Mooney limped to the Bears sideline and later to the locker room.

“What you guys are seeing form Mooney is there’s a lot of extra effort that goes on with him when he catches the ball,” Nagy said Monday. “He’s trying to make guys miss, he doesn’t run out of bounds very much. It’s one of those deals where [his ankle] got rolled up on a little bit.”

The Bears are preparing to face the New Orleans Saints in a Wild Card round playoff game at 3:40 p.m. Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

[Read more: Nagy: ‘It’s OK to feel like crap’ as Bears sneak into playoffs]