Jay Cutler has a tough act to follow, and Sunday's date with the Browns at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium was first on the Bears' to-do list as their quarterback returned from a high-ankle sprain.
Cutler, who previously suffered a groin injury, cut in line in front of Josh McCown, who performed better than the incumbent starter the past month.The Bears are tied for the NFC North lead with the Lions at 7-6, but Detroit owns the tie-breaker and will host the Ravens on Monday night.
Bears coach Marc Trestman rolled the dice and showed complete faith in Cutler by starting him against the Browns (4-9).
McCown had been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 27 of 36 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns with a career-high 141.9 passer rating against Dallas. He also ran for a score as the Bears rang up 490 total yards and stayed alive in the NFC North race.The Bears scored on eight straight possessions against the Cowboys as Adam Podlesh was not needed to punt.Trestman feels Cutler will return seamlessly against a Browns defense that is much more formidable than the Cowboys'.'The results that we got out of Josh were the results of growth in our offense, guys continuing to work together better, and players making the plays when the plays were needed,' Trestman said. 'So I am sure Josh would tell you that. I just get excited for the group that continues to work and press on.'McCown has completed 147 of 220 passes (66.8 percent) for 1,809 yards. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns and has had just one interception for a passer rating of 109.8.Cutler has completed 167 of 265 passes (63.0 percent) for 1,908 yards, 13 TDs and eight interceptions for an 88.4 passer rating.The Bears, with explosive weapons Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett, entered Sunday's game averaging 28.3 points a game, compared to the Browns' 19.8 a contest.Browns receiver Josh Gordon has emerged with a career year, catching 71 passes for 1,400 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jason Campbell, who was a Bears backup last season, will start at quarterback for the Browns.Defensively, the Bears rank 27th in the NFL, allowing 381.5 yards a contest. The Browns rank seventh overall, allowing 320.4 yards a contest.When it comes to turnovers, the Bears rank tied for seventh with a plus-7 ratio, compared to the Browns' minus-7 ratio, which stacks up 26th in the league.The Bears travel to Philadelphia next Sunday night before winding up the regular season by hosting the Packers.Twitter@kicker34
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, December 15, 2013 - Rating: 4.5
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