The Chicago Bears are taking on their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers this Sunday afternoon in a very big game for both teams. Season opening games aren’t normally looked at as being big games, but both teams are trying to set the tone for their 2015 seasons.
Jay Cutler has the added pressure of being in a make-or-break season, which could end in him being out of town if he doesn’t perform up to the standards that the Bears’ coaching staff has for him.
John Fox and Adam Gase are a huge upgrade for him over Marc Trestman, so there are quite simply no more excuses for Cutler to fall back on. He has been a turnover machine in big games throughout the last few games and hasn’t been able to lead an incredibly talented offensive unit. There are some injury issues with rookie Kevin White out for the season already, but Cutler will still have Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Martellus Bennett to work with.
During the 2014 season with the Bears, Cutler ended up throwing for 3,812 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Obviously the turnovers were a major concern and have been throughout the majority of his career with the Bears. They originally acquired him hoping that he could be a long-term franchise quarterback option for them, but he has been way too inconsistent to be that.
Chicago made the mistake of giving him a large contract extension prior to last offseason, which has made him almost untradeable with other teams not interested in taking on that kind of money.
At 32 years old, there are no reasons that Cutler should still be struggling with reading coverages. He is the same type of gunslinger mentality that Brett Favre had, which made Favre the NFL’s all-time leader in interceptions. That being said, at least Favre was able to balance out the interceptions with touchdowns as well.
Looking ahead at Sunday’s game, the Packers have a very young and inexperienced secondary. It is a defensive backfield that Cutler should be able to take advantage of and come through with a very solid first game.
That certainly sounds good for the Bears, but he has to prove himself on the field once again before anyone can take him seriously again.
Cutler certainly has the arm strength to be a dominant quarterback and one of the best in the league. He has been one of the most frustrating talents that has come through the NFL in recent years, but perhaps the Bears can figure him out and help him turn his career around in 2015. All of those hopes start in Week 1 against the Packers and it is hard to predict what type of game he will have.
Expect to see Cutler come out firing like he usually does, but the offensive system that the Bears have in place now won’t be as reckless. They are going to put him in a much better situation to succeed in and he should have a solid first game to start the 2015 season.
2015 Week 1 Prediction: 290 Passing Yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT
