Chicago Bears will rely on Jay Cutler

The Chicago Bears' playoff hopes are not dead yet, and the team has no choice but to rely on the players they have to pick up two clutch wins to close out the regular season. That means they must rely on the quarterback play of Jay Cutler.

John Mullin of Comcast Sports Net Chicago argues that with Cutler at the helm, no one should feel confident.

The concerning element is that Cutler himself is more than capable of helping his team into a trail technique, as his first-half interceptions against Minnesota and Green Bay amply demonstrated. If that happens Sunday in the desert, the Bears project to have the kind of "bad" loss that gets head coaches fired.

And quarterbacks' "franchise" credentials questioned.

After getting off to a 7-1 start, the Bears' surefire playoff plans have dwindled into only the smallest of hopes, as they have lost five of their last six games. Cutler's play has been pointed to as a key part of the problem. Against the Packers last week, Cutler threw a costly interception and managed only 135 yards. The week prior against the Minnesota Vikings, Cutler completed 22-of-44 passes for 260 yards, but again, gave the ball away with two interceptions.

Despite his struggles, the Bears will fully rely on Cutler in Week 16 and 17. But as Mullin points out in his article headline, "One more (final?) time: The season is in Cutler's hands," if Cutler cannot right the ship, Chicago might not rely on him much longer.