Bears Jay Cutler, Lance Briggs ruled out, others not practicing
By Peter Smith
The Chicago Bears have announced they will be without quarterback Jay Cutler as well as linebacker Lance Briggs when they take on the Baltimore Ravens. This means that Josh McCown will get another chance to prove his success is not a fluke and make his case that he is the right passer to lead the Bears forward. If that news is not bad enough, the Bears also announced that defensive end Shea McClellin, defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, and their long snapper Patrick Mannely did not practice on Wednesday.
The Bears at 5-4 are trying to hold onto their playoff chances, bounce back and pick up a few wins and turn around the momentum they have lost in heartbreaking losses to the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins with a win against the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers. If the Bears can get a win against Baltimore, they could pickup some wins against the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Viking and be healthy as they try to make a push for the NFC North crown. The bad news for the Bears is with the loss to the Lions, they have to finish ahead of the Lions as they own the tie breaker. This makes this Ravens game feel bigger than it might actually be in terms of perception.