"On a night when there wasn't much positive to report, Bears coach Lovie Smith cast hope that starting quarterback Jay Cutler could return for the team's next game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"He was feeling better. He got better as time went along," Smith said of Cutler. "We left him at home, didn't have him fly out.

"He was feeling a lot better by the end of the week so it's looking good.''

The Bears thought they had a more than capable backup in veteran Jason Campbell, but he struggled in a 32-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Campbell completed 14 of 22 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.