What had already been a frustrating September for the Chicago Bears took its most demoralizing turn Monday night. During the first half of a 29-14 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jay Cutler aggravated the thumb on his throwing hand, a setback that ultimately chased the veteran quarterback from the game for good late in the third quarter.
Cutler had X-rays on the thumb Monday night and underwent further medical testing Tuesday. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Halas Hall, coach John Fox specified Cutler's injury as a thumb sprain but could not detail the severity or the potential length of the quarterback's absence.
"We'll just take it day-to-day," Fox said. "Brian Hoyer stepped in (Monday night) and I thought did a pretty good job. We'll evaluate that tomorrow and split up practice as need be."
It seems likely that Hoyer will take all the first-team reps with the offense when the Bears return to practice on Wednesday morning. But Fox wasn't ready to put any sort of timetable on Cutler's absence.
The Bears coach also insisted that if Cutler had originally suffered his thumb injury in a season-opening loss to the Texans that it had not been a limiting factor in the practices leading up to the Eagles game.
"He practiced every play of practice last week," Fox said. "It didn't appear to (hinder him). I'm not a doctor. I just listen to our medical people."
Cutler's setback wasn't the only significant injury for the Bears, who dropped to 0-2 with the loss. Fox said Tuesday that inside linebacker Danny Trevathan suffered a thumb injury that will require surgery Wednesday morning.
Fox did say Trevathan's injury was not season-ending. The Bears will not put him on injured reserve to free up a roster spot in his absence. If they did, he would have to miss at least eight weeks under the NFL's new injured reserve rule.
Outside linebacker Lamarr Houston went down with a left knee injury, and the Bears are bracing for official word that his season is over.
"They think they know what it is," Fox said. "But until they get the MRI back, I don't want to report something and they see something new on the MRI. And we don't have those results back yet."
Second-year nose tackle Eddie Goldman suffered a sprained ankle. He was carted off the field as a precaution Monday night, and the Bears were optimistic after X-rays showed no fracture. He was scheduled for an MRI exam Tuesday.
Starting safety Adrian Amos and slot cornerback Bryce Callahan were also unable to finish Monday's game with both suffering concussions.
Cutler's injury, however, remains the most noteworthy. The 33-year-old quarterback has been a quick healer in recent seasons. But he admitted after Monday's loss that he was concerned, referencing the 2011 season when he fractured his right thumb against the San Diego Chargers in Week 11 and ultimately needed surgery.
The Bears went from 7-3 that season to 8-8 without Cutler, a regression that turned a playoff-hopeful squad into an NFC afterthought.
These Bears were never considered a serious playoff threat and, even with Cutler, had struggled to generate any offensive momentum in their first two games. In 20 possessions with Cutler playing against the Texans and Eagles, the Bears totaled 21 points with 25 first downs, 11 punts and three turnovers.
Through two weeks, the Bears rank 31st in the NFL in total offense (271 yards per game) and 30th in scoring (14 ppg).
Hoyer, an eighth-year veteran, relieved Cutler on Monday night and is in line to start going forward. Since Cutler joined the Bears in 2009, the Bears are 5-10 in games Cutler didn't start. Including the postseason, they are also 0-7 in games he did not finish.
Fox's take on Cutler's status and the week ahead?
"It's hard for me to give timelines," he said. "We'll evaluate it tomorrow. We have to practice tomorrow. We're on a short week already. If Jay's ready to do it, fine. If not, we'll go with Brian Hoyer."
