Miami Dolphins left tackle Jake Long played on Thursday night despite a shoulder injury that will require surgery.

Hindered by a bulky harness on his left shoulder, Long struggled against Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers, who beat the perennial Pro Bowler for a couple of his three quarterback sacks in Chicago's 16-0 win.

Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel reports that the Dolphins are having internal discussions about shutting Long down for the remainder of the season.

"I think you got to, I mean you sit back and you try to evaluate the whole, the whole body of work and watch Jake," head coach Tony Sparano said on Friday. "I mean we took him out there at the end for two reasons. One I think to leave him in there and risk anything else wasn’t smart at that point and we got a young player in (Lydon) Murtha into the ballgame in that situation.

"Then the other I think the thing was getting sorer and sorer as the game went on. I think you got to evaluate today how he feels after playing those plays, see where his strength is, all those things as we go forward here. I’ve been in constant communication with Jake and with our trainers and the doctors here to make sure that we’re doing the right things and not the wrong things."

Kelly notes that whenever Long has surgery on the shoulder, his recovery time will be four months.