Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey plans to play in the Pro Bowl despite a lingering knee issue.Ramsey said Wednesday he has a bone bruise in his right knee http://www.authenticschicagobears.com/cheap-pat-o_donnell-jersey , an injury that first became public when the third-year pro was limited in practice on Oct. 11."With a bruise, you just have to rest and not do anything for it to get better," Ramsey said. "It is a bone bruise. It still hurts now, but the trainers have told me after the season to rest for like a week and a half or two weeks and it will be good."Since the Jaguars (4-10) won't be in the playoffs, Ramsey expects to have time to heal before the Pro Bowl on Jan. 27 in nearby Orlando.Ramsey has started 46 consecutive games since being drafted fifth overall in the 2016 NFL draft and hasn't missed a game because of injury since his sophomore year in high school. He was suspended for a preseason game in August."I love the game of football, so any opportunity I get to play I want to play with a lot of heart and a lot of passion," Ramsey said. "I think a lot of guys in this locker room are the exact same. Being able to play football is truly a privilege we have been blessed with by God with all our talents and our skills."If you have an opportunity, you don't want to go out there and waste it."Ramsey was the only Jacksonville player voted to the Pro Bowl, a significant drop from having six defenders make the team last year. The Jags still could have a few more added as alternates, including linebacker Myles Jack and defensive ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue.Ramsey became the third defender in franchise history to make multiple Pro Bowls, joining John Henderson and Marcus Stroud, and the first Jacksonville player since running back Maurice Jones-Drew (2009-11) to make consecutive Pro Bowls."It is super special, back to back Youth Eddie Jackson Jersey ," Ramsey said. "It was a goal coming into the year to be the best I can. This is a step in that direction. This season has not gone how I would have liked it to go. This is a positive end to the end of the season."Ramsey has 57 tackles, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions this season while shadowing some of the toughest receivers in the league 鈥?Odell Beckham, Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and T.Y. Hilton. Ramsey noted that his stats picked up at the end of his first two seasons, pointing out that four of his nine career interceptions have come in December, which makes him eager for the final two games against Miami (7-7) and Houston (10-4).Coach Doug Marrone praised Ramsey for playing through pain."It's a credit to him that people felt like he was earning of it, and I believe so," Marrone said. "He is a guy that's been out there every Sunday, plays through injury and we match him up on the top guys." The Chicago Bears picked up a 16-14 win on the road against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, improving their record to 2-1 to start the 2018 regular season.That means that they’re in first place in the NFC North!With the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers both having lost in Week 3 and tying last week, the Bears are the only team in the division with two wins. Although their victory against the Cardinals wasn’t a pretty one, it was a win nonetheless.This win marks the first time since Week 16 of the 2013 season that the Bears have ever been in first place in their division. It also puts them over the .500 mark for the first time since Week 3 of the 2014 season http://www.authenticschicagobears.com/cheap-bobby-massie-jersey , when they lost in the season opener only to pick up wins in their next two games.The Bears still have a lot of work to do if they want to maintain their spot atop the division, which is likely a spot that they will not have in a few weeks if they don’t improve. Their offense is still a major work in progress, and Mitchell Trubisky has not made the developments that many thought he would to start the year. Their defense, while dominant at times, still has its fair share of plays in which it can fall apart.That said, this isn’t a perfect football team by any means. However, they are beneficiaries of rather poor starts by their division rivals, and they have taken advantage of it.Chicago takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, who have been tearing opponents apart in a rather surprising start to the season. Even if the Bears lose at home next week, this week is a time that all Bears fans can come together and technically say:The Bears are the best team in the NFC North.Jacob Infante is a Chicago Bears writer at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron. He is also the lead NFL Draft analyst for The Blitz Network, and he additionally covers the NFL Draft for USA Today’s Draft Wire. He can be reached through Twitter @jacobinfante24 or e-mailed at jacobinfante1208@gmail.com.
