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Chalk Talk

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Chalk Talk: Will Daniels be able to return?

Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.

I'm very disappointed about the injury James Daniels suffered. I think it's a big loss to the offensive line. Do you think there's a chance he'll be able to come back and play late in the season, maybe in the playoffs?
Dave L.
Wheaton, Illinois

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that left guard James Daniels will be able to recover from the pectoral injury he suffered in last Thursday night's win over the Buccaneers in time to return at any point this season, even in the playoffs. Coach Matt Nagy was asked about that possibility this week and here's how he answered: "I don't know about that. I would say I don't think so right now. I mean, I don't know how things go. I just don't know if I see that happening."

Why did the Bears sign kicker Kai Forbath to their practice squad, and how is that related to Eddy Piñeiro's injury status?
Phil P.
Muskegon, Michigan

With Eddy Piñeiro still sidelined due to a groin injury that has prevented him from kicking since the start of training camp, the Bears signed Kai Forbath to their practice squad last week as an insurance policy just in case Cairo Santos gets COVID-19. (The Bears said from the start of the season that they planned to keep two kickers this year for that reason.) Here's what special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor said Thursday about the Bears signing Forbath: "At that position, if someone would wake up in the morning with COVID ... we've been in a lot of tight games, and if you don't have a guy that can go out and make a field goal, that's concerning. Kai is a guy that's been in this league a long time. He's really a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency [kicker], is what he is. That's where we're at with him, and that gives us security."

I'd like to know what impact having no fans or a limited number of fans at NFL games has had on home-field advantage this season. Have road teams been more successful than in the past? I know the Bears are 2-0 on the road.
Michael D.
Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Entering Week 6, home teams have compiled a 40-36-1 record. That translates to a .526 winning percentage, which would be the third lowest since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970. The only two seasons in which home teams had lower winning percentages were in 1972 at .508 (90-87-5) and 2019 at .518 (132-123-1). In the Bears' first two road games this year, there were no fans in Detroit and about 500 relatives and friends of players in Atlanta. This Sunday, there are expected to be just over 5,200 fans at the Bears' game in Carolina—which is in accordance with North Carolina's crowd restrictions of seven percent capacity.

Chalk Talk features fan questions multiple times each week. Email your question to Larry.

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