The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bears decimated in defeat
QB Cutler, three top defenders injured in 29-14 loss to Eagles.
The struggling Chicago Bears might have to get by without quarterback Jay Cutler.
Coach John Fox said Cutler has a sprained right thumb that does not appear to require surgery and would not rule him out for this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
If he is not ready, Brian Hoyer will start.
“It’s hard for me to give timelines,” Fox said on Tuesday. “We’ll evaluate tomorrow. We’ve got 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.”
Cutler topped a long list of players injured in Monday’s 29-14 loss to Philadelphia.
The defense was hit hard, with linebacker Danny Trevathan scheduled for surgery today on a sprained thumb.
Outside linebacker Lamarr Houston tore his left ACL and will miss the rest of the season, Fox confirmed on Tuesday night. Houston tore the ACL in his right knee celebrating a late sack in a blowout loss at New England in 2014.
Nose tackle Eddie Goldman (sprained ankle) left the field on a cart and is likely to miss a month.
But once again, the Bears find themselves in a familiar spot with their quarterback hurt.
Cutler has not played in all 16 games since 2009, his first season in Chicago, and if he is sidelined, that would be a big blow for the Bears. They are 0-2 in their second season under Fox after finishing last in the NFC North a year ago, and the last thing they need is to have to get by without their quarterback.
It’s not clear when the injury happened. Cutler reportedly suffered ligament damage to his thumb during the season-opening loss at Houston. He was not on the injury report leading up to the Eagles game.
Fox said the thumb “didn’t appear” to affect Cutler in practice last week and he was a full participant.
Cutler said Monday night he couldn’t pinpoint when the injury occurred but acknowledged he was having trouble early in the game.
49ers: Colin Kaepernick says he has received death threats through social media and other avenues since he began to protest during the national anthem last month.
Kaepernick said Tuesday he has not alerted team security about the threats and understood that could happen once he began his protest over racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.
“To me, if something like that were going to happen, you’ve proved my point,” he said. “It would be loud and clear for everyone why it happened. That would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now. Granted, I don’t want that to happen. But that’s the realization of what could happen.”
Kaepernick’s protest during the anthem became public last month when he sat during the anthem before a preseason game against Green Bay and later explained his reasoning. He has since knelt before the Niners’ past three games. The kneeling is meant to show more respect for veterans.
Kaepernick has been joined by several other NFL players, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe and scores of high school and college players who have picked up the cause. It has not received universal support, however, and he said he was the target of racial slurs and other insults before Sunday’s game at Carolina.
“There’s a lot of racism in this country disguised as patriotism and people want to take everything back to the flag but that’s not what we’re talking about,” he said. “We’re talking about racial discrimination, inequalities and injustices that happen across the nation.”
Patriots: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was a limited participant in practice as he continues to recover from the right shoulder injury he sustained late the first half of New England’s win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
The Patriots have yet to add another quarterback to the roster, increasing the possibility rookie Jacoby Brissett could make his first career start Thursday night against Houston (2-0) if Garoppolo can’t go. In that situation, receiver Julian Edelman would be the emergency option.
It didn’t stop an onslaught of Garoppolo-related health questions Tuesday. It drove Belichick to the point of agitation as he was pressed about Garoppolo’s status.
“I’m a football coach; I’m not a doctor,” Belichick said.
Cowboys: Suspended defensive end Randy Gregory has dropped an appeal on another substance-abuse violation and now faces a 10-game ban on top of the four games he will already miss. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on his radio show the NFL Players Association wouldn’t support Gregory’s appeal, making it pointless to pursue.
A 14-game suspension would make Gregory ineligible to play until Week 16.
Broncos: Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware tweeted that surgery on his broken right forearm was a success and “now the hard part begins.” He’s expected to miss four to five weeks.
Chargers: Signed running back Dexter McCluster to replace the injured Danny Woodhead (torn ACL). McCluster has played six NFL seasons with Kansas City and Tennessee.