Brian Hoyer (broken arm) knocked out against Packers; Bears turn to Matt Barkley

Fri, Oct 21, 2016, 3:26 AM

Brian Hoyer suffered an arm injury against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. (AP)

The Chicago Bears less-than-desirable quarterback situation found a way to get worse.

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Early in the second quarter of Thursday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, replacement starter Brian Hoyer landed hard after being hit by the Packers’ Julius Peppers — a former Bear — and Clay Matthews and was taken to the locker room with a broken left arm.

It did not look good. Hoyer immediately yelled out in pain, and he immediately was taken for X-rays. He later was seen being carted out grabbing his arm near his wrist and forearm and was ruled out for the game.

Brian Hoyer has a left arm injury and will not return.#CHIvsGB #TNF
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 21, 2016

The Bears turned to Matt Barkley, who was the only other active quarterback on the roster for the game. Starter Jay Cutler remains out with a thumb injury.

Hoyer was only 4-of-11 passing for 49 yards in the game when he was hurt. But he had extended his interception-less streak to 200 pass attempts.

Barkley had not played in an NFL game since Week 10 of the 2014 season. In 2013 and 2014 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Barkley completed 30-of-50 passes for 300 yards, zero touchdown passes and four interceptions in four career games. The fourth-round pick out of USC has never started an NFL game.

The Bears signed Barkley before the start of the season to their practice squad and elevated him to the roster in Week 3 after Cutler’s injury. His first pass attempt of the game was an 11-yard completion that moved the Bears into Packers territory for the first time in the game, and Connor Barth finished the drive with a field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

But he struggled thereafter and finished the game completing 6-of-15 passes for 81 yards and two picks. Bears quarterbacks finished the night — a 26-10 loss — a combined 130 yards on 26 passes.

Will Cutler be ready before the Bears’ next game, a week from Monday at Soldier Field against the best defense in the NFL in the Minnesota Vikings? That will be the story for the 1-6 Bears through what has been a nightmare of a season so far.

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