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Bears' Clausen (concussion) out in Week 17; Cutler starting again

Eric Edholm

The Chicago Bears appear to be going back to Jay Cutler at quarterback. Not by choice.

Jimmy Clausen, who replaced Cutler in Week 16 amid a disastrous season, suffered a concussion and has been ruled out six days prior to playing the Minnesota Vikings.

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The Cutler news comes via a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

So the Bears have an ugly situation that just turned (more) awkward again. Only fitting.

Clausen sustained the concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit from Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, which drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, as Clausen scrambled on the Bears’ final drive of Sunday's game.

According to a Bears release, Clausen was examined by the Bears' medical staff as well as the NFL’s "ATC spotter," an athletic trainer who has access to replay reviews and whose job it is to spot potential head injuries and concussions. Clausen displayed no immediate signs of concussion after the hit or for the duration of the game but Sunday evening experienced some delayed aftereffects and was taken to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

After a slow start Sunday, Clausen played moderately well. He completed 23 of 39 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, throwing his only interception on the Bears' final offensive play of the game on 4th and 10. Clausen also was the victim of at least seven dropped passes by his receivers, including three from Alshon Jeffery, in the Bears' 20-14 loss to the Lions.

Cutler now gets at least one more game as Bears starter with his future unknown with the franchise. Perhaps he can redeem himself with a big performance against a Vikings defense that was gashed for nearly 400 yards passing on Sunday. Perhaps it's a chance for Cutler to increase his trade value and showcase his skills for another NFL team seeking to swing a deal for him and his albatross of a contract.

Either way, it's another odd turn in a sad state of affairs this season in Chicago.

There had been a clarion call by the football intelligentsia following Cutler's benching to start rookie David Fales, a heady fifth-round pick who was promoted to the active roster a few weeks ago, as a way of determining what they have at quarterback for next season. The belief is that Clausen has limited upside and might never progress beyond backup-quality, or as an emergency starter.

But that's clearly not happening now. So you can also throw out the theories about the Bears wanting to keep Cutler healthy these final two games to protect themselves financially as they deal with his bloated contract for the future.

After it appeared that Cutler's days with the Bears were over, he's back under center. What could go wrong?

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!