The media could not stop chirping about how Denver got the better end of the Jay Cutler-Kyle Orton trade after the Broncos ran out to a 6-0 start, knocking off the Patriots and Chargers in successive weeks, and Cutler fizzled in prime time against Green Bay and Atlanta, and more recently, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

The Bears were in position to win each game on the final drive and easily could be 8-2 and nipping at the heels of Minnesota entering next week's matchup with the NFC North front-runner had Cutler not tossed passes to the wrong jersey in three of four games and come up short at Atlanta's 10-yard line on 4th-and-6, after driving the length of the field, when a rushed pass fell incomplete to Desmond Clark. 

The timing could not have been better entering this game for Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who got a chance to watch how his brother, Norv Turner, dissected the Eagles' defense in a 31-23 victory for the Chargers a week ago in advance of preparing Chicago's offensive game plan.

But despite all the preparation and insight from his brother, the Bears still came up short, as Cutler, pressing not to throw another prime-time pick, consistently overthrew the deep ball for what would have been easy TDs to Greg Olsen, Devin Hester and Johnny Knox, all of whom had at least a step or two of separation — a wide window by NFL standards — on throws Cutler has shown he could make with ease.

Mechanics and decision making aside, Cutler has been criticized for overreacting, not being able to control his emotions on the field and even appearing disinterested, some NFL evaluators have said, in contrast to Orton in Denver, who has been credited with having one of the highest pain thresholds in the NFL and returned to play late in the second quarter in relief of a struggling, unemotional Chris Simms despite not having practiced during the week because of a severely sprained left ankle.

But Orton, whose very limited mobility has made it difficult to get through any NFL season healthy, hurt the Broncos as much as he helped them by playing hurt, as the Broncos lost to the Chargers, 32-3, at home to continue an 0-4 skid that started when Baltimore figured out they could beat the Broncos by slamming the flats and making Orton win with the long ball. Only the Browns, who fell to the Lions in the final seconds, have a longer-running losing streak with five consecutive losses.

The Bears could benefit by using Cutler's mobility, rolling him out more on sprint-outs, bootlegs and play-action passes more similar to the way Mike Shanahan utilized Cutler's talent last season, when he had better protection and a deeper supporting cast — more closely even to the way the Eagles maximize Donovan McNabb's talents. But there is no question Chicago's new fire-balling thrower allows the Bears' offense to rev its engine. With Orton, the Bears' offense barely sputtered and it took some very creative, tailor-made Josh McDaniel-produced packages for Orton to excel beyond his ability.

Despite critics mentioning the possibility of the Cutler trade going down in history as one of the league's worst of all-time, if the 26-year-old Pro Bowler continues imploding with lesser talent around him, the great irony of the situation is that the quarterback warranting the most criticism is the very reason some heavy-hitting offensive minds, such as Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, could be attracted to Chicago, provided Bears' management decides it is time for a change, while Orton could be a free agent following the season. The Broncos' ability to develop another passer, regardless of whether they draft one with the Bears' first-round pick this year, will define the trade, as franchise quarterbacks are extremely difficult to find in their prime.

• Panthers offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson has not shown enough patience with the run game this season and it happened again against Miami. Opposing defensive coordinators know the way to beat the Panthers is to make QB Jake Delhomme win with his arm. The less he throws, the better the Panthers' chances. With a power running game featuring one of the top RB duos in the league, the Panthers generally have success moving the ball on the ground, as they did against Miami. Yet Davidson was quick to abandon the run, not taking advantage of enough draws, screens and short, high-percentage passes that take the game out of Delhomme's hands and place it in the hands of Carolina's playmakers — DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Steve Smith. The Panthers have yet to win this season when Delhomme has attempted more than 30 passes. 

• Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have both missed some time with injuries this season, but when they both have been healthy, the Stafford-to-Johnson combination has been potent and looks like it could shape up to be one of the league's best for many years to come. Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew has had his ups and downs as a rookie, but has developed a rapport with the young passer, too, catching the game-winning TD Sunday against Cleveland.

• Brett Favre's arm still looks younger than the majority of starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but it was wise of Brad Childress to rest the 40-year-old Favre and continue developing Tarvaris Jackson in the fourth quarter at the end of a very easy win against Seattle. Jackson, a very good athlete, has the athletic ability to provide a Michael Vick-type spark in a "Wildcat" package, if Childress wanted to borrow a few pages from Andy Reid's playbook. With the way the Vikings have played offensively this season, any way to preserve Favre's arm down the stretch and limit the number of passes he throws could be beneficial.

• Colts MLB Gary Brackett is not the fastest or most athletic linebacker, but he has shown a knack for making clutch plays, as he did when he stepped into the throwing lane of a Joe Flacco pass when the Ravens were driving inside the Colts' 20-yard line late in the fourth quarter with the Colts leading 17-15. One of the greatest knocks on Flacco in college was that he could not win the big game, and the ill-timed pass will provide more ammunition for his greatest critics. Flacco has not thrown a TD pass the past three weeks.

• A lot of hype surrounded the matchup between Darrelle Revis and Randy Moss, with questions about how much help Revis needs to cover the Pro Bowl receiver, and Moss and Wes Welker each had some success lining up against the cornerback, as Moss caught a slant pass for a TD right in front of Revis and Welker managed to run a precise route behind his zone for a big gain. If Moss and Welker continue playing like they did, Bill Belichick might be able to get away without having a great third receiver down the stretch, as Joey Galloway did not replace the departed Jabar Gaffney the way Belichick likely envisioned.

• It's not even December and Tony Romo already is beginning to suffer through his late-season blues, as the Cowboys have not been able to muster more than a TD each of the past two weeks against Green Bay and Washington as defensive coordinators Dom Capers and Greg Blache both found ways to take away red-hot WR Miles Austin and pressure Romo into making hasty decisions.

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