Denver Broncos (7-2) at Chicago Bears (4-5)

Cutler is evolving. He’s posted a 95.3 passer rating – which, if it holds, will mark a career best – while helping the Bears get to 4-5. The regular players returned for Week Seven, but the replacement games counted and the season was shortened to fifteen regular season games.

In this November 15, 2015 photo, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler throws during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, November 15, 2015, in St. Louis. If they do, they’ll have to overcome the obvious advantage that Fox brings to the game.

The Broncos are trying to avoid their first three-game slide since 2011.

Jay Cutler wasn’t sharp, but wasn’t the problem: Cutler had his worst game of the season and certainly his worst game since week one against Green Bay. Bears coach Mike Ditka was incensed. Once was on fourth-and-goal from the 4 early in the fourth quarter, and the other was on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game in the waning seconds. He added one for 40 yards in the fourth quarter to position the offense for a potential tying score.

They are 28th in the National Football League in getting touchdowns when they get inside their opponent’s 20-yard line, getting in the endzone just 42 percent of the time. He tossed an interception deep in Denver territory, a gift Elway parlayed into an eight-play 61-yard, game-winning drive, RB Steve Sewell plowing in for the go-ahead touchdown from four yards out.

For the Bears to be successful, they will have to keep Denver’s defense on tilt, and will need to run a lot of pulls, traps, misdirections, and quick hits. LB Von Miller has five sacks, four in past six games….

But hey, at least he’s not doing it in a Super Bowl season. The Bears, whose season was derailed when they fell to 1-3 and lost starting QB Erik Kramer for the seasoon with a neck injury, had clawed their way to a 4-5 record behind the venerable Dave Krieg. A potential 59-yard field goal attempt was ruled out of the question, and the Bears punted the ball right back to the Broncos. With the Broncos down to two quarterbacks this week, he’s the guy running the scout team: Trevor Siemian. But the one unit that stands above the rest is Denver’s defense. The Broncos’ defense has been docked $426,000 for various transgressions.

The Bears are thrilled with the output of rookie RB Jeremy Langford in two starts with Pro Bowler Matt Forte (knee) on the mend, but the credit belongs to a mishmash offensive line playing well above its skis. He continued losing work to Zach Miller (6 targets), and dropped a pass in the end-zone. Sure looked that way in how they were able to render Bears defenders motionless.