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Chicago Bears

If Brian Hoyer continues producing as he did Sunday for the Bears, Jay Cutler could find regaining his starting spot is no mere formality.

Head coach John Fox didn't want to speculate Monday on how much longer Cutler would be out with a sprained thumb after calling it a "significant injury," but did say the starting quarterback position is like any other.

"I think it's performance-based," Fox said. "So anybody that's performing well, I don't think we're going to be likely to change."

Hoyer, an eight-year veteran, threw for 302 yards on 28 of 36 with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 17-14 victory over the Lions.

Hoyer has yet to throw an interception in three Bears appearances, and is 67 of 97 with a passer rating of 103.3 heading into Sunday's game in Indianapolis.

Cutler had a 75.7 passer rating and completed 28 of 46 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions. Cutler's two starts came against Philadelphia and Houston while Hoyer faced Dallas and Detroit.

When Cutler is healthy enough to return, Fox said evaluation of the spot will begin. At least until then, Hoyer is still the starting quarterback.

"I think we'll evaluate it just like we do every position on the football team," Fox said. "I think Jay has played a lot of good football.

"In fact in the (film) cut-ups watching Detroit in last year's two games I thought he played pretty well. We'll evaluate it like everything. Right now I don't like getting into speculation and predictions because we'll know more on Wednesday."

Another thing Hoyer did well was distribute the ball to different receivers after Alshon Jeffery had been the chief target opponents sought to stop.

Three Bears caught four or more passes and Eddie Royal took a pass over the middle 64 yards to set up a score.

It also didn't hurt Hoyer to be able to lean on a running attack that featured a back Fox said reminded him of former Carolina running back Stephen Davis.

Rookie Jordan Howard ran for 111 yards on 23 carries in his first start. He had been sharing time as the third back behind Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey, who were injured.

"Just being the main guy, you know you can be comfortable and relaxed, sort of," Howard said. "You don't have to worry about being pulled very fast, so you can definitely get into a rhythm."

Fox said he thought Howard tired out Detroit's defense, and the rookie wouldn't disagree.

"I felt like they were getting worn down as the game went on," Howard said. "I definitely try to make the defense not want to tackle me toward the end of the game. So I try to bring everything I have on each run."

Langford is out with a sprained ankle and Carey with a hamstring pull. So it's likely Davis will continue to get work.

"He's got good feet," Fox said. "He's got good vision. I think his hands are better than I think we thought, even when we drafted him.

"He does have an even-keel demeanor. He's not going to go real high. He's not going to go real low. But he's a very instinctive football player."

Fox was also encouraged by another young player, wide receiver Kevin White.

But White suffered an ankle injury Sunday against the Lions the second-year wideout has been placed on injured reserve. He'll miss at least eight weeks with a reported high ankle sprain and fracture.

It's a major disappointment for White, who seemed like he was developing a good rapport with Hoyer. White had six catches in each of Hoyer's two starts.

"I thought it was by far his best game," Fox said. "I think he was real aggressive. I think he caught some contested balls.

"I think after the catch he was aggressive to get extra yards. I thought it was his best performance."

Now we'll all have to wait to see how long the absence will be. Royal will move up to the No. 2 spot in White's absence.

I'll also point out that Royal enjoyed his best game Sunday receiving yardage-wise since 2010 with 111 yards. His 64-yard catch-and-run came about because the Lions double-teamed Jeffery, who had run a route all the way near the Bears' bench, leaving the deep center and left unprotected.

Unfortunately, Royal (calf) and Miller (ribs) were both held out Wednesday. I'll have more on their status when Late-Breaking Updates commence early Thursday. ...

Getting back to the QB saga. ... It should be noted that Cutler played behind a leaky offensive line -- particularly in the opener at Houston -- and without the benefit of a running game before hurting his thumb in that game. That was also the case against the Eagles. But as ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson suggests, what cannot be disputed is that Cutler did not run the offense well prior to his injury.

Over seven quarters, Cutler guided the offense to 25 total first downs. He also committed three turnovers.

Compare that to Hoyer, who in about nine quarters has helped the Bears move the chains 49 times and has one turnover this season.

Dickerson added: "Hoyer did enough to earn another start. The days of Cutler having enough clout inside the organization to force himself back on the field -- ready or not -- are probably over. ..."

And finally. ... RB Raheem Mostert was waived Monday and DL CJ Wilson was signed back to the roster. Wilson was on the team briefly last week but was cut on game day to make roster room.


DEPTH CHART
QBs: Brian Hoyer, Jay Cutler 
RBs: Jordan Howard, Ka'Deem Carey, Joique Bell, Raheem Mostert, Jeremy Langford 
WRs: Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Deonte Thompson, Marquess Wilson, Josh Bellamy, Cameron Meredith, Kevin White 
TEs: Zach Miller, Greg Scruggs, Logan Paulsen