Jay Cutler, Surging Bears Steal Spotlight on Memorable Night in Green Bay

GREEN BAY — On a rainy night made beautiful by the retirement of Brett Favre's No. 4 and the inspiring appearance of another Green Bay icon, the Packers' current legend got a bit of a scare.

In the third quarter, trailing 14-13, Aaron Rodgers was in the shotgun. The snap skipped and bounced off the ground, and in the resulting scrum, Rodgers took a helmet to his left elbow. He went off the field, holding it, and medical staff surrounded him. Unfortunately, Favre couldn't suit up. The stadium became hushed.

The staff worked on Rodgers' arm, poking and prodding the triceps area. Rodgers would return, but on this night of legends, where one had his number retired and another, Bart Starr, made an appearance—leaving not a dry eye in the house—it was Jay Cutler who would also make a mark on the night.

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Rodgers said after the game he lost feeling in his hand and that it lasted for a chunk of the third quarter. After the game, he was still waiting to get feeling in a few of his fingers.

Cutler felt just fine. He was the best quarterback during a Bears-Packers game. That hadn't happened in a long, long time. Maybe ever.

One of the surest things in all of sports was Cutler's shriveling and choking against Green Bay. Entering the game, Cutler was 1-11 in the regular season against the Packers, which included eight straight losses. That is a different level of putridity. That is turbo putrid.

The pregame pointed to another blowout. The emotion of the night. Rodgers seemed back. Eddie Lacy seemed back. Cutler was in Lambeau. It was as if Favre and Starr were providing the Packers a sort of sacrifice from the legends.

But Cutler has quietly been playing much better, and it showed in the 17-13 victory Thursday night. With Favre watching, Cutler played as well as he ever has in this lopsided series. There was very little "Cutler gonna Cutler." Instead, he was mostly smart, measured and skilled.

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As a harsh, steady rain fell, and the wind roared and the crowd quieted, you kept waiting for the Cutlering that has been so familiar in this series to happen. It never did.

Instead of the usual lopsided nature of this series, the game came down to just about the final play. The Packers had four downs inside the red zone and couldn't convert.

In many ways, this is the biggest upset of the NFL season. In many ways, this is Cutler's finest moment.

This moment signals two things. First, it shows the continued troubles the Packers are having on offense. This unit just isn't right. While many will examine Rodgers' play (and that's fair), two huge problems remain for Green Bay: Rodgers is still getting far too much pressure, and his receivers are still failing to get separation from the defensive backs. When they do, many times they drop the ball. Cough—Davante Adams—cough.

"He didn't have a very good day today," said coach Mike McCarthy of Adams.

Really, none of the Packers receivers did.

"We're not going to overreact here," said McCarthy, speaking of his entire offense. "But there's a pattern here."

And McCarthy had better figure it out.

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Normally, McCarthy doesn't criticize his players in the media, but on this night he did. Can't blame him.

Second, this win is special for Cutler. Many have trashed him over the years (and that's fair), but he is transforming into a reliable passer. It's been a long, slow process, but it's here. This was Cutler's first win at Lambeau, and it happened on a horrid weather night in front of Packers legends on Thanksgiving.

The defense and coaching staff also deserve credit. Especially John Fox. I've said this before: Fox will stabilize this franchise and transform it into a winner. He's done this at every head coaching stop, and he'll do it in Chicago.

Last year, the Bears lost 55-14 here. Fifty-five to 14.

The most staggering numbers from this game are the quarterback ratings. Cutler finished with a 90.8 rating. Rodgers finished at 62.4. Normally, those would be reversed.

There is something happening here, in both cities. With the Bears, there is now great optimism. In Green Bay, there are many questions to be answered.

If somehow the Packers lose in Detroit next week, then there could be total panic in Packerland.

On a wonderful night, Favre had his jersey retired. It was a gorgeous moment.

And not so bad for Cutler, either.