Chances Dim for Justin Fields Facing Raiders

The Bears most likely will have another quarterback on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, although they won't know for certain until later in the week.

Justin Fields is being called "doubtful" for this week's game by coach Matt Eberflus, who usually defers until Friday before he talks about injuries because league technicalities and the weekly practice schedule allow this. So if Eberflus says Fields is doubtful on a Monday, it means he's probably out.

Fields suffered a dislocated right thumb and the Bears didn't reveal the exact details but Eberflus said swelling needs to go down more so later in the week a more definite timetable can be fixed to how long the Bears will need to rely on rookie backup Tyson Bagent at QB.

"X-rays were negative," Eberflus said. "We did the MRI today. There's no timetable right now and it’s really going to come down to grip strength. There's natural swelling that occurs with this injury. We really should know more at the end of the week. Is he going to play this week? It looks to be doubtful right now for that.

"But again, we'll see at the end of the week and be able to make that known at the end of the week. That's where it is with that."

Eberflus still won't go to the end of the QB board and jump off when asked if there's no chance Fields plays.

"No, that's not been ruled out," he said. "It's doubtful, so again, for this week it looks like it’s doubtful, but we'll see at the end of the week and see where it goes. I know he’s a fast healer. So we'll see where it is."

The key determining factors for whether Fields can play, according to Eberflus are: "...grip strength is—you know, grip the ball, throw the ball, hand the ball off, everything a quarterback does. We'll know that at the end of the week."

At least there appears no structural damage.

"Everything’s looking where it is, in terms of good," Eberflus said. "It doesn't look like it’s a negative thing, but we'll see where it is. I don't have all the information yet because it's not there. We don't have the information yet."

Eberflus was strangely reluctant with information on when the injury occurred. He left after a sack by Danielle Hunter but was also hit hard going out of bounds before that play by Hunter.

"I'm not gonna get into all that detail of that," Eberflus said. "I just know him being able to get rid of the ball a little bit faster, we would certainly like that so he wouldn't take the hit.

"That's what I'll say about the end of the play, for sure. He just kinda fell on it funny and that's what happened."

The Bears had two other injury situatitons more well defined. One is starting right guard Nate Davis' injury. He has a high ankle sprain.

High ankle sprains are usually three-to-six week affairs, although a few Bears have been out a few weeks in the past.

"He'll be out this week, as well," Eberflus said. "That's going to be a week-to-week deal with Nate Davis. And then, from last week, we had Terell Smith. He has mono. He's going to be out three to four week(s) with that illness."

The Bears have played Ja'Tyre Carter's in Davis' absence several times this season already, and they have other options. For one, they could move Teven Jenkins back to right guard and play Cody Whitehair at left guard. Or they could put Whitehair at right guard if they didn't want to use Carter there or move Jenkins.

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