NFL teams
Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Jay Cutler says he'll tough it out for injury-ravaged Bears

NFL, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Jay Cutler said on Thursday he's not 100 percent but is pushing through his hamstring discomfort in light of all the injuries theĀ BearsĀ have suffered this year.

"I feel better. I do," Cutler said. "I'm still not exactly where I want to be, but it is what it is, and we have a lot of guys banged up out here. I'll just make do."

Cutler had missed two weeks before returning to start in last week's 22-20 win over the Oakland Raiders, even though he had originally been expected to miss two to five weeks with his hamstring injury.

He was 28-of-43 for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to lead the Bears to their first win of the season.

"First thing I learned was how tough he was," Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. "For him to go out there and perform the way he did, I don't know if I've been around a performance like that, as efficient as he was, to fight through what he had going on. But him sticking around in the pocket, obviously, he did a good job of protecting himself, and he did a good job with all his reads."

The Bears will hope Cutler's mobility isn't hindered in Week 5. Although the Kansas City Chiefs enter the game with a disappointing 1-3 record and a defense ranked 29th overall and 28th against the pass, they can knock down the quarterback.

Head coach John Fox emphasized on Thursday that he is wary of Kansas City's pass rush off the edge, led by outside linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014.

"Houston is explosive," Fox said. "He's strong. He's got good speed, and he can convert speed into power. One of the better outside rushers, in my opinion, in the league. We'll mix it up some as far as our protections and how we go about handling it."

Protecting Cutler can be tricky. The Bears offensive line is ravaged by injuries, so much so that Charles Leno Jr. is expected to start again at left tackle, and rookie Hroniss Grasu is a strong candidate to play center. Right tackle Kyle Long is nursing a sore ankle and back but is being counted on to start.

"It does get challenging," Cutler said. "The communication has to be good. Mistakes are going to happen out here, but we'll just try to eliminate them."

Further complicating things up front is the venue for Sunday's game. The Bears say they are mindful of the noise factor at Arrowhead Stadium after experiencing similar conditions two weeks ago in Seattle, in a game the Bears lost 26-0.

"It's tough for anybody to go on the road," Long said. "I was talking to Leno, and I was like, 'Did you get reps in the Seattle game?' He was like, 'Yeah, I had like the whole second half.' That was good to hear, because going on the road is tough. Kansas City and Seattle are both highly thought of in terms of 12th-man issues."

^ Back to Top ^