Sept. 25--The Bears departed for Seattle on Friday afternoon with quarterback Jay Cutler as part of their traveling party, but neither Cutler nor top receiver Alshon Jeffery will play Sunday against the Seahawks.
Both are dealing with hamstring injuries and officially were ruled out Friday after not participating in any of the team's three practices this week.
Jeffery did not accompany the team to Seattle, left behind because of an illness. So the Bears offense will face the Seahawks without two key weapons
Cutler, who suffered his hamstring strain in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, will miss his 14th game to injury since joining the Bears in 2009. He also sat out a Week 16 loss to the Lions last season after being benched.
The Bears are 5-9 in games Cutler didn't start.
Jimmy Clausen will take the wheel at quarterback Sunday, attempting to steady the offense.
"I thought he had a great week," coach John Fox said. "The whole team was very focused."
Jeffery, meanwhile, continues to be hindered by injuries. He missed all four exhibition games with a calf problem before his hamstring issue kept him sidelined in Week 2. His absence remains a major setback for a receiving corps that could use his big-play pop.
"Anytime a player gets hurt, there's an element of frustration, a little discouragement," Fox said. "But that's part of this game. You're going to get knocked down. What do you do? You get back up and bounce back."
dwiederer@tribpub.com
