While there are season-ending injuries in other cities, the Bears have now taken a pair of major blows today.
The Bears announced that quarterback Jay Cutler will miss at least four weeks with a torn groin muscle, after the previously reported four- to six-week absence of linebacker Lance Briggs.
The Bears have traditionally floundered when Cutler’s been absent, as evidenced by their 2011 collapse from 7-3 to 8-8.
Backup Josh McCown played well yesterday, but there’s a signficant drop-off there, one the Bears will struggle to recover from at a time their defense isn’t playing well.
It also complicates the financial decision the team has to make. Cutler was allowed to go into the final year of his contract without an extension, and this doesn’t help them decide whether he’s going to be their guy for the long term.