CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 13: Quarterback Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears calls a play in the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 13, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
If your team needs to convert a third down to keep a crucial drive alive, who do you want at quarterback?
Peyton Manning?
Tom Brady?
How about Jay Cutler?
This isn't a joke. The Bears quarterback has actually been one of the NFL's finest on third downs this year. He's completing 76.9 percent of third-down tosses and 69.2 percent of them have gone for first downs, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.
Cutler's hamstring injury, which sidelined him for a game-and-a-half, has devalued an otherwise efficient start to the season. In the two full games in which Cutler has played, the Bears are 1-1 with a close loss to the undefeated Green Bay Packers in Week 1. They are 0-2 when backup Jimmy Clausen plays.
If the Bears want to rebound from their 1-3 start this season, the key will be to keep Cutler healthy.
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