Is beating finally getting to Bears’ Cutler?

There were a few moments Sunday when it looked like Jay Cutler was having a good time.

Unfortunately for Cutler, that time was brief.

It was for about 20 seconds late in the second quarter when he had the Bears on the move in the two-minute drill and ran one entire play on his own without help from above.

As in Mike Martz from above.

He didn’t have Martz in his head, and he didn’t have Martz making the call.

Cutler hit Matt Forte over the middle, and Forte made 28 yards out of it.

Of course, the Bears called a timeout and that was the end of Cutler’s amusement.

Other than that, it was a pretty miserable day for the Bears’ quarterback, which is hardly anything new.

That the Packers manhandled the Bears to the tune of a 27-17 pounding — which wasn’t as close as the score might hint — also was not a shock. But the surprise was something truly disturbing.

The Bears are making Jay Cutler bad.

The awful Cutler of two years ago — mostly of his own doing — was out in full force Sunday — and that is mostly of the Bears’ doing.

Even when he had protection — and it was better Sunday — Cutler was looking to get rid of the ball before he got squashed.

“I thought we had adequate protection today,’’ said Lovie Smith. “It’s not like all was lost today. We saw some improvements.’’

Cutler was hit eight times and sacked three, a good day by Bears offensive-line standards, and yet Cutler was quite shaky, a function certainly of the brutal beating he has taken the last two years.

It has finally happened, and it was inevitable. Whether it’s lasting is the question, though if it is he wouldn’t be the first Martz quarterback who failed to recover.

A reasonable person would have expected this. A reasonable GM and head coach would have secured the right offensive coordinator, the right weapons and the right protection after the trouble and expense it took to get a top-notch quarterback.

Clearly, the Bears did not.

“He should be frustrated,’’ said center Roberto Garza of his embattled QB. “He can’t get hit this much or I don’t know what’s going to happen. We have to do a better job. We have to protect him.’’

Cutler had 2 picks and it could have been 5. He missed at least a half-dozen open receivers, but there also were several drops and one slip, and Johnny Knox negated a long gain when he took his eye off the ball and tried to catch a pass with his face mask.

“I’ve got to catch that ball,’’ Knox said of running before he had it. “Simple as that.’’

And then there’s Devin Hester, the supposed No. 1 receiver who’s getting better and better every game — or so the Bears say.

Never mind that he took a false start while waiting to receive the ball in the wildcat, or that he’s yet to break a big return while he works on his fine offensive game.

He has 7 receptions in three games, does the No. 1 receiver.

On the fourth play of the game, Hester didn’t know the play, hesitated off the line and when Cutler threw it to where Hester was supposed to be, the ball hit Dane Sanzenbacher in the helmet.

Two plays later Hester lined up on the right side and Cutler motioned him to move to the left side. Hester just stared at Cutler. Cutler told him again and finally Hester shifted, before catching a 10-yard curl on a third-and-16 and the Bears had to punt.

“When you play the defending champs you have to be on top of all the details,’’ Smith said. “You have to play good football. We didn’t do that today.’’

Then there is the big target, Roy Williams, the guy who was supposed to come in and be the legit No. 1 receiver.

Williams was so unbelievably slow coming out of a break that it led to Cutler’s first interception.

Cutler was throwing to a spot where he expected an NFL receiver to be, but the only way Williams could have looked older was if he were wearing a sweater in July and ordering hot soup at a deli.

“He’s still a little bit sore,’’ Cutler said.

His next throw to Williams wasn’t even close, past him and to the outside with Williams looking inside. After that, Williams dropped a TD pass, and later Cutler missed Williams by so much that he must have been fantasizing about a receiver the Bears don’t possess, and that became another interception.

“A lot of miscues,’’ Cutler said. “There were spurts. But we’ve got to be more consistent.’’

Cutler is still talking a good game, but he sure didn’t play one Sunday, and it’s hard to blame him for much of it.

The line can’t consistently block for him and the line can’t create space for Matt Forte, who drew a sarcastic cheer from the faithful with 3:42 left in the third when the scoreboard finally showed the Bears with positive rushing yards.

They finished with 12 carries for 13 yards, but that’s only because of a 10-yard scramble by Cutler with 25 seconds left in the game.

Asked if the plan was to avoid run, or if he had audibled out of the run, Cutler chuckled and reminded the interrogator that Cutler is not allowed to audible with the mad scientist in charge.

“I don’t do the game plan,’’ Cutler said. “You’re going to have to ask someone else about that.’’

Unfortunately for Cutler, right now there are few answers.

And the questions are scary.

ŸHear Barry Rozner on WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.