LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears were bracing for an injury to Jay Cutler long before the season started.
Now, they’ll see just how prepared they are.
Cutler will miss Monday’s game at San Francisco because of a concussion, leaving the Bears without their starting quarterback. The team announced the decision Friday, meaning Jason Campbell is the likely starter against the 49ers.
Star receiver Brandon Marshall said Cutler is getting better, but he also said there’s a bigger picture that goes beyond this week’s game.
"Our life, our health, is more important than football," Marshall said. "I think we’ll get Jay back sooner than later."
For now, the Bears believe they have enough to get by. They brought in Campbell in the offseason for a situation like this, and he found out before Thursday’s practice that he’ll be starting.
"You definitely don’t want to see anyone get hurt or injured in this business," said Campbell, who’s made 70 starts in his career with Washington and Oakland. "We understand it is a tough sport. Sometimes, things like that happen."
Cutler’s status was in question after he sat out the second half of Sunday night’s loss to Houston. The Bears believe he was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit by the Texans’ Tim Dobbins, who was fined $30,000 by the league, late in the second quarter.
Cutler initially did not
The 49ers, meanwhile, could be without starting quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a concussion of his own last week. He practiced in a non-contact black jersey Wednesday and Thursday and hopes to be ready to play against Chicago.
The concussion isn’t the first for Cutler. He missed a game after being sacked nine times in the first half of a loss at the New York Giants in October 2010.
Font Resize
