Cutler’s rush job saves day
QB soars above distractions at desperation time
KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Surrounded by inexperienced players not used to the pressure of mounting a comeback on the road with the Bears needing to be just about perfect in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs on Sunday, Jay Cutler was adamant that he not give them time to think about the predicament and just play the game and get the job done.
“Try not to huddle. I try to keep them at the line so they’re not thinking,” Cutler said. “That’s why I’m always waving them, ‘ Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go— just to keep them in the moment so that they can’t stop and think, ‘ What are we doing? We’ve got 30 seconds left. Can we make the play?’ Just kind of keep them going.”
The irony of his strategy is that nobody benefits by it more than Jay Cutler. The mercurial quarterback so often dogged by inconsistency and lapses in concentration that make him prone to critical errors is rarely more focused than when he’s in hurry- up mode — with less time to think, fewer voices to hear and fewer options to consider.
The no- huddle offense often is an effective antidote for what ails the underachieving Cutler, and Sunday’s 18- 17 victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium was another example.
For 52 minutes, Cutler was at the mercy of a makeshift lineup that included Cameron Meredith, Joshua Bellamy and Marc Mariani at wide receiver, rookie center Hroniss Grasu playing in his first NFL game and Charles Leno making his second start at left tackle.
Cutler fumbled after he was sacked, leading to a Chiefs touchdown. He tried to force throws to well- covered receivers and missed badly three times on third- and fourth- down plays when receivers were open. And the Bears scored three points.
Only when the situation grew desperate and Cutler had nothing to lose— the Bears already were down 17- 6 with 7: 51 to play— and he went to a hurry- up, no- huddle offense did Cutler find the focus that the great ones have from the opening bell. After going 19- for- 32 for 152 yards and no touchdowns in the first 52 minutes, he was 7- for- 13 for 100 yards and two touchdowns— on near- perfect throws to Marquess Wilson and Matt Forte— in the final eight minutes to lead the Bears to an improbable victory.
“I don’t know,” Cutler said when asked why his focus seemed to be so much better in desperation. “I know we needed to make some plays in the fourth quarter. I trust the guys around me. I know that all I had to do was get the ball out to them, and they’ll do most of the work. A lot of it’s on them.”
Most importantly to coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace, Cutler’s teammates followed his lead and were as dialed- in as he was in the desperate final drives. The Bears gained 149 yards ( 3.3 per play) on their first 10 drives. They gained 155 yards ( 8.2 per play) on their final two. And the quarterback made the difference.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions on that guy since I got here,” Fox said. “I couldn’t be more pleased or impressed with the way he’s handled himself— forget about today and last week. But since we’ve been here.”
Even fate seemed to smile on the star- crossed Cutler on Sunday. A failed two- point conversion after the first touchdown forced the Bears to go for a winning touchdown instead of a tying field goal in the final 2: 04. A review on the Chiefs’ final play nullified a nineyard pass reception and turned a 57- yard field goal into a 66- yard attempt that was well short.
A new Jay Cutler? Nobody’s going to fall for that. But Sunday was further proof of a key element in the Bears’ rebuilding— as they improve, Jay Cutler will, too.