Brian Urlacher injury: Bears star might be hard-pressed to return for playoffs

The Chicago Bears will be without Brian Urlacher for at least three weeks and could still be missing the backbone of their defense come playoff time. Urlacher is out indefinitely after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and on Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune spoke to Gus Gialamas, an orthopedic surgeon who pegs Urlacher's recovery time as longer than just three weeks.

"I'm thinking he would be lucky to come back in four weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer than that. It's just a tough injury.''

Much like last season, the Bears are starting to see injuries pile up as they try to complete a run to the NFC playoffs. Chicago is already without Devin Hester and Alshon Jeffery on offense and lost both Urlacher and starting cornerback Tim Jennings, who is likely to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury, after the defeat at the hands of the Seahawks.

On Sunday, Chicago visits the Metrodome to take on the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears currently hold the No. 5 seed in the NFC, but their grasp is a tenuous one with four games remaining in the season.