Jay Cutler is a tougher guy than he gets credit for. Ndamukong Suh put this quality to the test in Monday night's matchup between his Detroit Lions and Cutler's Chicago Bears.
With less than six minutes to play in the second quarter and the Bears leading 10-0, Suh chased Cutler out of the pocket, caught the quarterback by the sleeve of his left arm and drove him into the turf for a crushing sack.
Cutler remained down on the turf for several minutes as Bears personnel tended to him. Suh, not known as the game's greatest sportsman, tried to talk to Cutler while he was down, another sign of how seismic the hit really was.
Cutler managed to get to his feet and jog back to the sideline while ESPN was in commercial break, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd at Soldier Field. Incredibly, Cutler returned to the game after missing only one play, then attempted a pass that fell incomplete.
Cutler went to the locker room to have his ribs evaluated, giving way to backup Jason Campbell, but he returned to the field to start the third quarter of the Bears' 13-7 victory. Cutler told ESPN after the game that he had bruised the ribs on his right side and anticipated being sore in the morning.
We're just amazed that Cutler came back as soon as he did. Perhaps the pain set in as the adrenaline wore off.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
