The Chicago Bears have a lot of problems on their hands and not all of them surround Jay Cutler. With the quarterback out for the next two weeks with a hamstring strain, Jimmy Clausen steps in under center and will need the help of all the playmakers around him in order to excel. The issue is there are some doubts as to who those playmakers will be as Alshon Jeffery's status remains up in the air.
The Bears need Jeffery. There is no question he is their best playmaker when on the field, but a preseason calf strain and Week 2 hamstring problem has his status in doubt once again. Jeffery was missing last Sunday and it was clearly noticeable as the rest of the receiving corps struggled.
According to CSNChicago.com, it is unclear what Jeffery's status is. The wide receiver had taken on a full workload in practice before eventually being ruled out for the game against the Arizona Cardinals. Eddie Royal led the unit with seven catches, but only put up 41 yards. Marquess Wilson failed to breakout with just two catches. Cameron Meredith got onto the field with four targets as Clausen had experience with him in the second-team during practice. All in all, the presence of Jeffery is needed and everyone knows it.
"We do have a next-man-up mentality, so guys have obviously been working in there [at wide receiver] and studying," running back Matt Forte said, via ESPN.com. "He's a great player. We don't have another Alshon on the team, so obviously it's going to hurt."
With Jeffery potentially out, the pressure is on Forte to step up. The run game will be important with Clausen and it is nothing the running back is not used to. He is used to being the workhorse for the offense and that will be needed once again. Forte admits that while it is expected the defense will crowd the box on him, he is confident in his abilities. Forte along with the rest of the team is echoing that confidence in Clausen. The backup quarterback has two weeks to prove he can be the future in Chicago as it is clear Cutler is falling out of favor for that option. Right tackle Kyle Long believes the quarterback has all of the tools to be successful.
"We have to have practice reps with Jimmy and that will come this week," Long said , via ESPN 1000's "Carmen and Jurko Show." "We'll see how this goes. We are confident in Jimmy."
