I'm really high on Cutler going into this game, and I expect him to be very, very good. Cutler, in his history, has been awful against the Packers, and really awful against any team that can get good, consistent pressure in his face. Indianapolis got off to a good start in that regard, but couldn't maintain it. There are a couple of reasons why I think Cutler should be able to avoid continuing his awful history tonight:
- Offensive Playmakers
- Have you seen the skill players at receiver that Cutler is playing with now? Reuniting with Brandon Marshall, after one week, seems to have reaped some serious benefits. Alshon Jeffery looked pretty good beating double coverage on a 40+ yard TD catch. Cutler has always had great chemistry with Earl Bennett, a guy he played with in college at Vanderbilt. The Bears finally have some solid weapons at receiver. NOTE: I did not mention Devin Hester on purpose.
- Michael Bush. This guy is going to provide something the Bears haven't had since Matt Forte has been in Chicago. Bush showed last week that he can work well in this offense, and that there will be plenty of carries to go around between himself and Forte. Two close-in TD's will take that much more pressure off Cutler in the red zone.
- Offensive Philosophy
- Maybe even more important than the new skill players is Mike Tice's offensive game plan compared to the philosophy of Mike Martz, the former OC in Chicago. Tice's system seems to encourage quick passes and a larger emphasis on the run game, which should help Cutler avoid being sacked 9,000 times this year. Cutler and the Bears employed this new philosophy to perfection last week.
Because of the above reasons, I think Cutler will not only have a great game tonight, but might actually be a top 10 QB for the rest of the season. Now that he's got the weapons around him, and a philosophy that better fits his talents, Cutler should continue to excel and prove that he belongs in the conversation about moving into the game's elite QB's.
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