Rex Grossman expects to be in uniform for the first time this season when the Chicago Bears visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The projected starter at quarterback before breaking his left ankle in the preseason, he is listed as questionable. "Just to be able to suit up again will be a milestone for me," said Grossman, now the third-stringer behind rookie Kyle Orton and Jeff Blake. And, whether he plays or not, Grossman's return is a boost for the Bears. "It definitely adds to the confidence, just knowing that our team's getting stronger," coach Lovie Smith said.

Outfitted with additional padding to protect his tender ribs, tailback Thomas Jones has returned to the practice field, and will be back in the Chicago Bears' starting lineup for Sunday's showdown against the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. The Bears' leading rusher, and the centerpiece of a relatively rudimentary offense that is designed to reduce the pressure on rookie quarterback Kyle Orton and curtail turnovers, Jones missed last Sunday's victory over San Francisco 49ers with bruised ribs. He had played through a sprained right knee early in the season and this week marks the first game since early October that Jones was not listed on the official injury report.

In a classic good-news/bad-news scenario, Chicago Bears rookie tailback Cedric Benson suffered no serious structural damage to his right knee Sunday, but the team's first-round draft choice is expected to miss 3-6 weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament. Benson was injured in the second quarter of Sunday's victory over San Francisco when his right knee buckled, then bent under him at a grotesque angle. Trainers immediately signaled for a cart to remove Benson from the field, he did not return, and he left Soldier Field on Sunday night with an immobilizer on his leg. "It looked a lot worse than it was," coach Lovie Smith said Monday. "I'll say that. ... We think right now it's week to week. Hopefully we'll get him back before long. We don't know exactly how long it will be, but we know that we'll get him back some time this year."

With an MRI scheduled for Monday, Bears running back Cedric Benson was hoping for the best after exiting Sunday's 17-9 victory over the 49ers with a sprained right knee. The first-round draft pick was carted off the field with 5:52 left in the second quarter after his leg twisted underneath him while he was being tackled by 49ers lineman Isaac Sopoaga. "I feel confident that I didn't tear anything," said Benson, who told reporters that he had never previously been knocked out of a game with an injury. "I don't know how these things work. I don't know if guys are still able to walk after things like this, but it doesn't really feel that bad." Rookie running back Cedric Benson has rushed for 164 yards on just 29 carries in his last three games. Coach Lovie Smith was also cautiously optimistic after the game, saying "we think it's just a knee sprain right now, so hopefully we'll get him back before long." Benson admitted that the injury may have looked worse than it actually was, but he was among those who squirmed when he saw a replay of his leg bending awkwardly under his body. "It made me cringe as much as everybody else," Benson said in the locker room after the game. "It didn't look too good right there, but I've been blessed with some flexibility and just thankful that I'm able to stand here right now."

Chicago Bears tackle Fred Miller, who sat out the team's 17-9 victory over San Francisco with a broken jaw, reportedly was hurt by a punch from center Olin Kreutz. The Bears said last week that Miller was hurt in a fall down some stairs at home. But CBS-TV reported the injury came during an altercation with Kreutz.

Chicago Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher returned a missed field goal an NFL-record 108 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half against the San Francisco 49ers. When Joe Nedney's 52-yard attempt went wide right in a strong wind, Vasher caught the ball over his shoulder, hesitated momentarily whether to come out of the end zone, sprinted to the 15 and then reversed his field with a spin, picking up a convoy of blockers. Getting blocks down the sideline from Lance Briggs and Chris Harris, Vasher weaved his way past the 49ers for a stunning touchdown that gave the Bears a 7-3 halftime lead.