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Jeffery exits game with hand injury

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery sat out the bulk of the fourth quarter of the team's 41-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday after he injured his right hand.

Jeffery had his right hand heavily bandaged by the team's training staff but he did remain on the Bears' sideline until the conclusion of the game.

The rookie second-round draft choice caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bears quarterback Jay Cutler at the start of the fourth quarter and finished the game with two receptions for 20 yards.

The good news for Jeffery is that he gets to rest his injured hand during the bye week and could return in time to face the Detroit Lions on Oct. 22. But in the event Jeffery is forced to miss any games, wide receiver Brandon Marshall thinks the club has enough depth to overcome the potential loss.

"He really is a big part of our offense," Marshall said of Jeffery. "We tried to get him going a little bit this week. He had a big score for us and had us going in the second half but we're so deep in the wide receiver room; it doesn't matter if it's Alshon or me or Devin (Hester), we got a guy who can step up and play. We'll get Earl (Bennett) back after this bye. Dane (Sanzenbacher) with the things he can do in the slot and Eric Weems, we haven't used him yet so he's still parked in the garage. We have a special group of guys."

Bennett was inactive in Week 5 for the second straight game due to the left-hand injury he sustained in practice prior to the Bears’ game against Green Bay on Sept. 13. The hope is for Bennett to be active when the Bears host Detroit on “Monday Night Football.”