Imrem: Cutler comes through for Chicago Bears when it matters

When the afternoon began, you had to figure the Chicago Bears would be at least a little inspired.

The Chicago Blackhawks brought the Stanley Cup to Soldier Field along with 10 or so players.

There they were: Toews and Kane, Seabrook and Shaw, Crawford and Kruger …

Hopefully for the Bears, the ceremony reminded them that it's OK to win a championship in Chicago. No, that isn't likely this season, but maybe it will be sometime this century.

The Bears proceeded to beat the Raiders 22-20 on Robbie Gould's 49-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.

The victory means the Bears can't finish 0-16 and Jay Cutler could say, “It's always easier to look at mistakes after a win.”

The Bears' quarterback almost made it harder by throwing an interception in the fourth quarter, when the Bears were threatening to expand their 19-17 lead.

A Raiders' field goal put them ahead and the Bears were in danger of squandering what is projected to be one of their few opportunities for a victory this season.

But this time Cutler had his penchant for costly mistakes out of his system and he went on to look like the quarterback Bears fans have been longing for him to be since 2009.

Cutler drove the Bears 48 yards in 12 plays and 2:03 to set up Gould's winner.

“I don't even think about that,” Cutler said of how he put the interception behind him. “Can't linger on it, can't worry about it.”

Cutler suffers considerable criticism for looking like he doesn't care what happens on the field, whether it be good or bad.

Of all the raps against Cutler, that one is unfair. Still, the ability to move on from his errant throw was a benefit to him and the Bears on this day.

Another rap, perhaps the most unfair of all, was pinned on Cutler when he was injured and didn't return to the NFC championship game against the Packers five seasons ago.

Not tough enough? My goodness, the one thing this guy has had to be is tough when you consider all the beatings he took behind suspect Bears offensive lines.

Cutler suffered a hamstring injury two weeks ago, missed a game and figured to miss one or two more. Instead he returned sooner than later.

“Jay is a tough son of a buck,” said Bears head coach John Fox. “Some lesser guys may not have been out there, but he was.”

Cutler was playing behind a makeshift offensive line, too, with injured left tackle Jermon Bushrod inactive for the game and center Will Montgomery going down early.

“Huge … huge,” Cutler said of the line holding it together. “When it's Aldon Smith and (Khalil) Mack, they are two guys that are elite pass rushers … We knew it would be a challenge.”

Cutler helped out by maneuvering just well enough in the pocket to limit the Raiders to 3 sacks for 8 yards.

Dare it be suggested that maybe Cutler's injury was a blessing because he couldn't run around, throw on the fly and be vulnerable to more interceptions?

No, we'll just leave it at saying Cutler had one of his better games, albeit less than spectacularly even on the winning drive.

Throwing to a corps of mundane wide receivers with Alshon Jeffery out, Cutler was surgical rather than sensational.

Cutler receives enough criticism in this space and elsewhere that we have to give him credit when he earns it.

Heck, if the celebration-giddy Chicago Cubs were in Soldier Field, they might have sprayed Jay Cutler with champagne after this victory.

mimrem@dailyherald.com