Good or Bad: Which Jay Cutler Is It?

The start of this year for Jay Cutler was something to remember.

The notion that he would be the next franchise quarterback for the Denver Broncos was coming true. He was leading the league in passing and was powering the NFL's No. 1 offense. There were early talks about a possible MVP and the Broncos could do no wrong.

But ever since a loss to the struggling Kansas City Chiefs, it’s been a different year for Cutler. No longer were the Broncos putting up nearly 40 points a game, totaling 16, 17, and a season-low seven points in a Monday night blowout loss to the Tom Brady-less Patriots.

Cutler has slowed down and now could be bothered by a hurt finger on his throwing hand. Cutler has showed all the intangibles to becoming a superstar. We all know he has the strong arm and has shown good mobility, but recently he has gone back to the same mistakes he was making as a rookie and in order for Denver to win they can't afford mistakes because their defense is so bad.

Overall, it seems like it's been two different seasons for Cutler. He started off fast out of the gates with amazing numbers and leading an offense that looked unstoppable, but now it seems like he is slowing down. Hopefully this bye week can help Cutler regain some of the magic he produced in the first three games of this year.

The Broncos need him to play like a franchise quarterback and lately he hasn't done that. Throwing interceptions and fumbling (five picks and two fumbles in last four games) the football will not help anything in Denver. The Broncos have put a lot of faith into Cutler and if he wants to stick around he needs to start playing like he did.

It is worth noting, however, that some of his key offensive weapons have been missing as Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, and Selvin Young have all missed time this season due to injury. In addition, a strong every-down back has not emerged, so not all of the Broncos recent struggle can be put on Cutler.

There’s no doubt he has the talent, but can he produce on a consistent basis. No one really knows yet and in order for the Broncos to return to a team that is a playoff contender every year Cutler is going to have to play like he knows he can.