Injuries to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, backup Chase Daniel and tight end Zach Miller during a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday kept rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky on the sideline. But Daniel remained eligible to play and may have had another shot if something unforeseen had happened to his backup.
Cutler played last week and attempted to rest sore hamstrings, but remained sidelined Sunday. Even when Cutler and Daniel’s injuries made head coach John Fox hold a series of question-and-answer sessions at his postgame press conference, Fox wouldn’t mention Daniel, who was in the game for three series Sunday. As for Daniel, general manager Ryan Pace even admitted he didn’t know if the rookie was active.
As a result, Fox’s words were quite mysterious, especially when he said Daniel’s status for the future remained “unsettled.”
The Bears are expected to start sophomore Mike Glennon against the Chargers on Sunday, but Daniel’s status for the future remains undecided, according to ESPN’s Rich Campbell. Pro Football Talk reported that the Bears sent Daniel to Los Angeles on Monday to see a specialist for a second opinion.
Here is a look at other notes from the Bears’ Week 8 win:
Black up. Chicago’s defense turned in another masterful performance in defeat, held the Eagles to 128 yards rushing and, again, stifled running back LeGarrette Blount to zero yards. But offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains felt the need to accentuate a less-well-known facet of this team’s run game — the cornerback play.
“We’ve got one of the best corner tandems in the league, and they continue to play well together,” Loggains said. “I’m very pleased with that. Those guys are playing solid football.”
As for what makes those matchups work, given how great the Bears’ run defense has been this season, Loggains thinks it’s a combination of both.
“Bortles, they run right to him,” he said. “So there’s an understanding and an understanding of maybe coverages that you’re taking advantage of, certain looks, and then just knowing it.”
On Matt Jones, the Bears’ fullback, Loggains compared him to Darren Sproles, the Philadelphia fullback and slot receiver.
“You watch our pass blocking for Matt, you can see it in our blocking and you can see it at tight end,” Loggains said. “Not only does Matt understand it, but Matt has the ability to run routes and use his body and his body type to be able to be leverageed.”