Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler opted to play through pain after getting walloped by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on Monday night, so expect to do it again if he has to in Week 8.
"I know I'm not going to have any problems," Cutler said Tuesday on ESPN 1000, according to the Bears' team site. "(Wednesday) is more of a mental day for us, coming off a Monday night game. We'll have a hard Thursday, Friday and a little bit of a work day on Saturday before the game. We have another day off kind of (Wednesday) -- more mental -- so I'll be good to go by Thursday."
Cutler suffered bruised ribs when he was driven into the turf by Suh late in the second quarter of the Bears' 13-7 win over the Lions. Cutler acknowledged after the game that the injury to his right side affected his ability to follow through on throws in the second half. The Bears changed their gameplan as a result.
Cutler sat out the last series of the second quarter before returning to play the entire second half. He finished the game connecting on 16 of 31 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown.
With a winnable game on tap at home against the Carolina Panthers, the Bears could be tempted to rest Cutler, especially now that they have a capable backup in Jason Campbell. Of course, we can't imagine that conversation with Cutler going well.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.