NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Clay Matthews

Bears

• Bears HC Matt Eberflus hopes third-round WR Velus Jones will be available for Week 4 after missing three games with a hamstring injury: “He’s been conditioning, working in there.” (Courtney Cronin)
• Jones said he “definitely had a setback” regarding his hamstring injury, but said today was the best he’s felt: “I feel really good today.” (Cronin)
• Bears WR Darnell Mooney immediately caught balls off of the JUGS machine after the team’s game against Houston. Mooney dropped a catchable ball which left him frustrated: “Still a little frustrated now. Just overall. Just not happy about my performance at all. I had the opportunities, you know. Had the chances to make some type of play and I just didn’t be me.” (Cronin)

Lions

Lions G Jonah Jackson said the bone and ligament injury in his finger is a “week-to-week” issue and he’s waiting for the “sensitivity” on his finger to subside. 

“How I’m looking at it is just a week-to-week thing, day by day, see how it feels,” Jackson said via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s definitely improving. Like, swelling’s gone down tremendously, it’s just a matter of the sensitivity going away, get through that.”

Jackson has been surprised to miss time with his finger injury after playing through multiple other issues throughout his career. 

“The crazy thing is, it’s just, I’ve (played through) sprained MCLs, (injured) shoulders, collarbones and to think a finger, something so minute, (is keeping me out),” Jackson said. “But it takes a big part into the game that we play, especially up front. How we win is with our hands and our feet.”

• Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown remains day-to-day with a sprained ankle: “It’s frustrating, but I’m glad it’s just a sprained ankle. It could be much worse. Like I said, it’s just a sprained ankle. Just treating it day-by-day and hopefully I can come back sooner rather than later.” (Eric Woodyard)

Packers

Former Packers OLB Clay Matthews spoke candidly about wishing he had finished his career in Green Bay, but the stars didn’t align and he ended up moving on to the Rams.

“I would have loved to finish my career there,” Matthews said, via Pro Football Talk. “Based on my discussions after that 2018 season, I thought we were going to continue moving forward. But yeah the manner in which it did kinda caught me by surprise. Ultimately it is what it is. I had fun in my year in L.A. It was a blast getting to go home and play with some incredible players.”

Matthews was later cut by the Rams, but when Rams assistant Joe Barry became the DC in Green Bay he thought there was a chance he could return. The situation never ended up coming to fruition.

“He had reached out to me,” Matthews said of Barry. “He knew that I could still play and I think he knew if he had me, he could find a way to use me within the scheme. But nothing ever manifested, so I think ultimately there might have been powers above that didn’t want that to happen. But yeah, there was a brief glimmer of hope of coming back. That didn’t happen, but it’s all good. But I’m at peace with my career.”