Johnny Knox Injury: Bears' Leading Receiver Requires Surgery on Back Injury

The Chicago Bears' season has clearly taken a turn for the worse.

In Sunday's 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Bears leading receiver Johnny Knox caught a pass from quarterback Caleb Hanie four minutes into the game, but the ball was poked out his hands. When he went to recover the ball, he was bent backwards on a hit by Anthony Hargrove.

Knox stayed on the field for nearly 10 minutes while medical personnel attended to him and he had to be taken off on a cart after he suffered a lower back injury.

However, despite the scary injury, the Bears said, via ESPN, that he has a "positive prognosis for his career and quality of life."

Said head coach Lovie Smith:

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"He has total movement throughout his body, has total use of all his extremities, which is good. We're doing tests right now. He has total movement. He's not paralyzed or anything."

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Knox is scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday to stabilize a vertebrae in his back.

The third-year pro led the Bears with 712 receiving yards this season and added two touchdowns. Last season, he had 51 catches for 960 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bears now sit at 7-7 and find themselves sliding out of the playoff picture.