Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler joined the local ESPN radio affiliate Waddle & Silvy on WMVP-AM1000 on Thursday morning, and told listeners there is an outside chance he could return to action on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers. If the Bears are still in the NFC Wildcard race by then, it offers fans some real hope of salvaging a seemingly lost season. Cutler injured his thumb in Week 11 against the San Diego Chargers while trying to make a tackle after an interception, and here is what he had to say on the air:
On a possible Week 16 return
I'll say outside. I wouldn't say it's good or definite or even a real possibility. There's always a chance.
On recovering from surgery to repair his broken thumb
It's kind of like trying to relearn it. The ball was a little foreign in my hands. It's a little bit stiff. And those pins in there, that adds a little bit of a shooting pain. In the next few weeks we have to figure out once all the swelling's going whether I can manage with these pins or we're going to have to pull them.
It's probably worth noting that there is absolutely no downside to floating the idea of playing in Week 16 to perhaps give the Bears an edge in game-planning and force the Packers to think about two completely different quarterback situations for the game. If the team loses to the Seahawks, it would probably be wise to just shut Cutler down for the rest of the season, but if they can get a win on Sunday the NFC Wildcard is definitely still in play. This is a situation that will merit a close look for Bears fans everywhere.
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