CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was removed from the NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday with a knee injured and replaced with veteran Todd Collins.
The Bears were trailing 14-0 with nine minutes left in the third quarter when Collins replaced Cutler, who completed six of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Cutler, a 27-year-old in his fifth NFL season and second with the Bears, was listed as "questionable" to return to the game.
He was brilliant in leading the Bears over the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 last week, passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns and running for a career-high 43 yards and two scores in the first postseason game of his career.
Collins misfired on his first three passes.
During a regular-season game in October when Collins played in place of Cutler, who was recovering from a concussion, he threw four interceptions in a 23-6 win over Carolina.
(Writing by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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