The Chicago Bears certainly do not have a quarterback controversy on their hands, but they can afford to take things slow at the position. The team put their trust in backup Josh McCown on Monday night and the backup delivered and delivered well. As starter Jay Cutler looks poised to rejoin the lineup soon, the Bears can afford to have him sit out another week if necessary.
Chicago understands that having Cutler at full strength is better than playing him a week early just to get their starter back. Originally, Cutler set a goal of returning Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. That approaches on Sunday, but does Chicago need Cutler back that early? Not with the way McCown played on Monday night.
The backup finished the Monday night football game going 22-for-41 for 272 yards and two touchdown passes. He finished with a 90.7 quarterback rating while proving he can manage the field, leading a nine minute scoring drive in the final minutes of the game. The entire team walked away impressed.
"He was actually better than what I thought he was," Packers defensive end Datone Jones said. "A lot of times, those passes, he wasn't just sitting back in the pocket completing them. We got him off the spot running and was completing long passes. A lot of times, it wasn't like we weren't getting pressure. We were getting pressure, but he was just moving, which a great quarterback does. He stepped up tonight."
Cutler has been smart in not guaranteeing a return against the Lions. Just a few weeks out of tearing a muscle in his groin, the quarterback is placing full trust in McCown to keep the momentum he started on Monday night.
"Can't tell you," Cutler said on ESPN 1000, via the Chicago Tribune. "I wish I could say I'd be out there. But the way Josh [McCown] has been playing, we feel good. ... We've got to be smart."
Cutler will be practicing some this week in order to give doctors and trainers a good indication of where he is health wise. The quarterback notes that he is urgent to return to the field, but cannot risk any setbacks. Cutler is playing out the final year of his current contract, something that is not playing into his decision of when he will return to the field or not. Cutler simply said that all that stuff will work itself out in the end.