Jay Cutler's very bad week just got worse.
After throwing five interceptions in Thursday night's loss to the 49ers -- including a pick in the red zone that could have won the Bears the game -- Cutler was fined by the NFL.
The fine stems from a an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Cutler in last Sunday's 41-21 loss to the Cardinals.
Cutler was arguing over an interception that he and many Bears fans thought should have been a pass interference call; the back judge didn't call it, and Cutler let him hear it. For this most heinous of crimes, Cutler will be forced to pay $20,000. It's not a backbreaking sum to someone who just signed a $50 million contract extension, but it's still a pretty decent chunk of change merely for arguing with a referee.
Meanwhile, Tommie Harris' first-minute punch didn't go unnoticed at league offices either. Harris was fined $7,500 for the punch, for which he was promptly ejected. How the NFL calculates these fines -- $20,000 for berating a referee, less than half that for punching an opponent after the play -- remains a mystery.
In any case, it's yet another bit of bad news for the Bears. Could this week get any worse? (Don't answer that.)
Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. He is the editor of Yahoo! Sports's college basketball blog The Dagger and a contributor to Inside The Hall. Follow him at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com, or on Twitter.
