Jay Cutler Breaks His Thumb: Can Caleb Hanie Lead the Bears to Victory?

After the smoke had cleared and the fans went home happy, the startling news that Bears QB Jay Cutler had a broken thumb hit like an anvil dropped on somebody's foot.

It hurts. It hurts a lot.

The loss of Cutler, that is, though I suppose the thumb hurts too.

The Bears had been on such a great run. They had won five straight games, and with the remainder of the schedule being relatively soft, it appeared that the team was on its way to a certain Wild Card berth.

But not anymore. It could still happen, but suddenly, it is far from certain.

Meanwhile, backup QB Caleb Hanie will have to assume the reigns as starting Bears QB, a role that he has never filled.

When Cutler had to miss a game last season, they turned to journeyman Todd Collins, who laid an egg, though he somehow managed to get the win.

Hanie did pretty well in relief of Collins after Cutler was injured in the NFC Championship game, but that seems like such a long time ago.

He completed 13 of 20 passes for 153 yards. The two interceptions he threw late in the game sealed the victory for the Packers, but in reality, the game was over once Cutler left.

Hopefully, that will not be the case if Cutler has left again. This time, however, it appears he will miss much more time.

Nothing is certain about the Bears now that their leader is down for the remainder of the season, according to a report on ESPN.com.

The sources in the ESPN report say that Cutler will have surgery and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Cutler didn't talk about the injury after the game, and there was no mention of it during the network broadcast. No one is quite sure how or when it happened.

As far as the Bears' chances with Hanie at the helm, it appears that the scaled-back Mike Martz offense will probably be scaled back even further.

The running game will be key, as defenses will stack the box, daring the Bears to throw the ball.

The Bears are still good enough to win with Matt Forte, defensive turnovers and special teams. But the offense will not likely be as potent as it was on Sunday.

Of course, last week against the Lions, it was the defense and special teams that led the Bears to victory. The offense was pretty much stymied throughout the game.

For what it's worth, I like Hanie, and I think he will not be afraid to take on this challenge. I'm sure he will want to grasp the opportunity to show what he can do as a starter in the NFL.

Yet for us fans, it is quite the shocking blow. It is a loss that is quite stunning, really.

Quarterbacks have played with broken thumbs before. Ben Roethlisberger did it, and so did Brett Favre. But if it is severe enough to require surgery, that's a whole different ballgame.

So, if Hanie is the guy, then the important thing is for the team not to hang their heads and maintain that confidence that has built up over this five game win streak.

Hanie knows the system, and, as long as he limits his mistakes, should be good enough to allow the team to compete the rest of the season.

Perhaps Cutler can come back for the playoffs. But we have to get there first. If we do, it will be on the back of 26-year-old Caleb Jeffrey Hanie.