Cutler's night-game woes leaving offense in the dark

Jay Cutler's not afraid of the dark, even though 11 of his 17 interceptions have come in the Bears' three night games and they'll be back in prime time Sunday night at Soldier Field against the Eagles.

"That's how it's rolled so far," Cutler said. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me what time we play. A game is a game. It's just how it's gone this year."

Even worse, 4 of Cutler's 5 interceptions in the red zone have come in night games, including two last week in the 10-6 loss to the 49ers.

"They know that I'm aware of it," Cutler said when asked if coach Lovie Smith or offensive coordinator Ron Turner had spoken to him about the problem. "They know that I'm going to be more critical of myself than anybody else. It's something (that) they don't have to say a lot (about) to me."

But it's something that has to change if the Bears hope to come away with just their second win in seven weeks. No one knows that better than Cutler.

He was asked if he's ever experienced a slump as severe as the current one that has seen him throw 4 more interceptions than any other quarterback in the league.

"Not that I can remember," he said.

The red-zone failures cost the Bears a victory in San Francisco last week and could have made the difference in the 6-point loss in Green Bay and the 7-point loss in Atlanta.

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has re-emphasized being smart in the red zone without robbing Cutler of his aggressiveness.

"If nothing's there, we have to throw it away," Turner said. "He's got to understand that there's nothing wrong with throwing it away. There's nothing wrong with getting 3 points. We have to come away with (some) points.

"Obviously we want touchdowns, and we usually try to give him an opportunity to take a shot in the end zone if we get a right look. But, if we don't get the look, then go to the check-down or throw the ball away if you have to. That's something that we have to continue to work on with him."

Considering that five of the Bears' nine games have been decided by 7 points or less, coming away with a couple field goals as opposed to a couple turnovers has already been crucial.

"We've just got to be careful with it," Cutler said. "If we've got to take 3 points, we've got to take 3 points. (There are) certain situations where we have to get a touchdown and we're down, and we're trying to win a football game. At the end of the day, you get down there, you want to at least get away with 3."

Coach Lovie Smith believes the Bears and Cutler need to take better care of the football no matter where they are on the field, but not at the expense of eliminating aggressiveness.

"We're always trying to be aggressive, but still you have to make good decisions no matter where you are on the field," Smith said. "It's not good having a turnover when you're backed up (either). There's no good spot on the football field to turn the football over. We have to make better decisions on all areas of the field."

Unlike his passer rating, which has dipped to 76.0, at least Cutler's confidence remains at a high level.

"I'm not even concerned about that with Jay," Turner said. "Jay's got a lot of confidence, and he's a really good football player. His demeanor's great, his confidence level is high, and I think he's going to go out and play well."

When Cutler was asked if, as a head coach, he would have sat himself down after the first 4 interceptions last Thursday, he said, "I'm not going to bench myself. No."