The Chicago Bears will be without Justin Fields for Sunday's showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders, due to the quarterback's dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. But the team did get some good news regarding the injury on Thursday.

Fields' injury will not require surgery, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Theoretically, that should allow Fields to return to the field quicker than if he did have to have his hand operated on. However, his reinsertion to the lineup will depend on when he can comfortably grip a football.

The injury occurred in the Bears' 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. Scrambling to avoid pressure early in the third quarter, Fields was taken down and banged his thumb as he was taken to the ground. He left the game and was replaced by Tyson Bagent.

The Bears held out hope that Fields might be able to play all week, refusing to rule him out. In fact, the team still has not declared Fields will not be available on Sunday, although that is the expectation. If that is the case, Bagent will likely make his first NFL start.

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Fields has looked better as the season has gone on. He threw for just three touchdowns in Weeks 1-3, but connected on eight in Weeks 4 and 5 combined. Week 5's 40-20 demolition of the Washington Commanders was Fields' first start of 2023 without an interception.

It's poor timing for the 1-5 Bears, who might've felt that Fields was rounding into form as the team's starter. Even if they were too far behind in the standings for this season, the team could have felt confident that Fields was worth sticking with as their starting quarterback.

But this injury throws a wrench in using 2023 to evaluate Fields' future in Chicago. Fortunately, it sounds like he has a good chance to get back on the field sooner than later.