Chicago Bears set to be without Jay Cutler for two to three weeks
Wednesday 21 September 2016 15:32, UK
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler could be ruled out for the next two to three weeks with a sprained right thumb.
Cutler has suffered issues with his throwing hand in the past, breaking his right thumb against San Diego back in 2011 and he hurt it again during the 29-14 defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
He came out of the game in the third quarter, after throwing an interception to Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham, and said the problem with his thumb had caused the bad pass as it was tough for him to grip the football.
Brian Hoyer, a summer free agent signing, came in for Cutler and completed his first nine passes before ending nine of 12 for 78 yards, throwing incomplete passes on his last three attempts, all of them in the red zone.
Bears coach John Fox did not rule him out of Sunday's clash with the Dallas Cowboys when he spoke to the press on Tuesday, but NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that the 33-year-old could miss as many as three weeks.
"To my knowledge, right now, no [he will not need surgery]," Fox said. "But to eliminate it down the road, I'm not a doctor, so I can't tell you that. But it doesn't appear like that at this point.
"We'll just take it day to day. Brian Hoyer stepped in and did a pretty good job. We'll evaluate that tomorrow (Wednesday) and split up practice as need be."
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The Eagles' defeat proved costly on both sides of the ball for the Bears, who have also lost linebackers Danny Trevathan and Lamarr Houston to injury.
Trevathan also suffered a thumb injury, one that will require surgery, while Houston's season is over after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.
