SPORTS

Former MSU QB Brian Hoyer breaks arm in Bears' loss to Packers

Genaro C. Armas
Associated Press
Quarterback Brian Hoyer of the Chicago Bears walks off of the field after being injured in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 20, 2016 in Green Bay.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Chicago Bears’ anemic offense took another hit on Thursday night.

The Bears are down to third-stringer Matt Barkley at quarterback after former Michigan State standout Brian Hoyer broke his left arm in the second quarter of a 26-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Hoyer could be seen holding his arm after a hit by Julius Peppers.

“Well, when you lose your starting quarterback it can be disruptive. It’s not an excuse, it’s just a reality,” coach John Fox said.

The Bears were already struggling to score points with Hoyer. He was playing admirably in place of injured starter Jay Cutler, though Chicago had trouble turning the yards into points.

They were 31st in the league in scoring (16.8 points) coming into the night.

Their best offense on Thursday came from rookie linebacker Leonard Floyd.

He scored the Bears’ only touchdown after stripping Aaron Rodgers on a sack and recovering the ball in the end zone for a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter.

But the offense never got closer than the Green Bay 42 on their four second-half drives. Their last two possessions ended with interceptions.

“I don’t think anybody’s proud of what we’ve done so far,” tight end Zach Miller said. “What are we 1-6? One-and-6 is not good.”

Cutler has been out since Week 2 with a right thumb injury. Miller was the emergency quarterback if Barkley got hurt.

Hoyer had made a fairly strong case to keep the starting job no matter the status of Cutler, posting four straight 300-yard games with six total touchdowns. Hoyer had thrown 200 passes this season without an interception.

Hoyer was 4 of 11 for 49 yards before getting hurt. Barkley finished 6 of 15 for 81 yards.

Barkley is just learning the offense after getting called up from the practice squad after Cutler got hurt.

“It’s just like learning a new language. You can picture it in your mind what it’s supposed to be, but having to spit it out into a fluid sentence just takes reps,” Barkley said.

The good news for the Bears is that they now have 10 days until their next game, on Oct. 31 against Minnesota. Maybe they’ll have Cutler by then, too.

“When he’s cleared medically, we’ll have him out there,” Fox said. “When exactly that’s going to be, I can’t answer that. But he’s getting closer.”