In a comfort zone

Bears quarterback Kyle Orton said he felt more comfortable on the field in Sunday's 33-25 victory over New Orleans than he has since entering the NFL.

But how comfortable do the Bears feel about Orton starting 16 games in 2008 based on his end-of-season, three-game audition?

"Kyle Orton just helps us win every time he's behind center, so good job by him," said noncommittal Bears coach Lovie Smith, who wouldn't tip his hand after the game as to which quarterback might be on top of the depth chart heading into next season. "I like what he was able to do at the end of the year."

What Orton did at the end of the year was the same thing he did at the beginning of his career in 2005: he won games. The Bears finished 2-1 with Orton at the helm, which raised his career record as a starting signal-caller in the NFL to 12-6.

"I'm sure they'll go back and evaluate and see what they've got going into next year," Orton said, "but I have all the confidence that if I have the chance, I'm going to win the job."

The third-year signal-caller from Purdue made a case for himself Sunday by completing 12 of 27 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns against a lone interception. He was sacked just once and finished with a modest quarterback rating of 77.7.

He also showed big-play ability. Orton's 55-yard scoring strike to Devin Hester in the second quarter was his longest as a professional, besting the 54-yard touchdown toss he threw to Mark Bradley in Detroit on Oct. 30, 2005.

A second bomb to Bradley in the third quarter Sunday was on target beyond the coverage, but Bradley couldn't hold on for the catch. Nevertheless, Orton walked away from Game 16 feeling far better than he did entering Game 14.

"I think I got better in all three," Orton said of his late-season starts. "Today I felt more comfortable than I ever have on the field. I thought I saw the field well. Like I said, I thought I missed a couple of throws but, all in all, I thought I threw well."