Jay Cutler made his return to action against the 4-9 Cleveland Browns, a move that was criticized by fans. In November, a poll conducted by the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that fans favored Josh McCown with 66.87 percent, with Cutler earning 29.31 percent. On December 9, ESPN analyst Skip Bayless tweeted, "As much as I've supported Vanderbilt's own Jay Cutler, I must admit Josh McCown runs this offense like he owns it." Bleacher Report's Dilan Ames stated that although Cutler is the better quarterback, his injury tendencies and inability to play a full season since 2009 had affected him, along with the statistics comparison between the two quarterbacks: Cutler has recorded 1,908 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while McCown has thrown for 1,809 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception. However, Brandon Marshall defended Cutler's status as the starter, stating: McCown also acknowledged his backup position on the team, and told the Chicago Tribune, "The way that I serve my team is to play when the starter is not healthy. Jay is our starting quarterback, there is no doubt about that." Seven CBS Sports analysts predicted a Bears victory, with Pete Prisco being the only one to favor the Browns. Jeff Joniak stated that the Bears had to attack the Browns' 3-4 defense, who ranked third in yards per pass attempt allowed at 5.32, with their fifth-ranked passing offense. Chicago's wide receiver duo of Marshall and Alshon Jeffery should also be utilized, as Joe Haden and Buster Skrine are at a size mismatch (Marshall is 5 inches and 40 pounds larger than Haden, while Jeffery is 6 inches and 30 pounds heavier than Skrine). Browns offensive coordinator Ray Horton commented, "This team, Chicago, is a lot like Detroit in that they have weapons at every position. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery have the most catches in the league. They have the most combined yards in the league. They are both, in our mind, No. 1 receivers. They present a challenge that you can't double everybody. You can't roll up to one guy because the other guy's open." On defense, the Bears had to contain Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron. Gordon ranks second in yards after catch, while leading all receivers with 71 for an average of 19.7 yards. Cameron leads all tight ends with 23 third down catches. The Bears' worst-ranked run defense also has to defend against the Browns, which had the third-fewest rushing attempts in the league with 290 with an average of 3.78 yards, which is one of the bottom six in the league. The Bears' opening drive ended at Cleveland's 14-yard line when Cutler had his pass tipped in the endzone by T. J. Ward and intercepted by Tashaun Gipson. The Browns then scored on Billy Cundiff's 35-yard field goal, which was tied by Robbie Gould kicking a 23-yarder. Eventually, the Bears reached the Browns' 24-yard line on another drive, and after a penalty on Alshon Jeffery forced the Bears to kick a 46-yard field goal, the score was nullified by Corey Wootton's holding penalty, forcing Chicago to punt. With 8:01 in the first half, Cutler was again intercepted by Gipson, who returned the pick 44 yards for a touchdown and the 10-3 lead. With 24 seconds remaining in the half, Cutler connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass with Marshall to close the half at 10-10. Cutler ended the first half with 13 of 19 passes completed for 168 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Early in the third quarter, Jason Campbell's pass for Greg Little was intercepted by Zack Bowman and returned 43 yards for the score. Cleveland's Edwin Baker eventually scored his first career NFL touchdown on a 2-yard run, and the Browns added to the score when Billy Winn punched the ball from Martellus Bennett, and Ward returned the fumble 52 yards for the 24-17 advantage. Eventually, Cutler guided the Bears from their own 5-yard line, culminating in a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jeffery after Gipson made an ill-timed leap and Julian Posey being unable to interrupt the play with 10:59 remaining. With 5:41 left in the game, Cutler threw a 5-yard pass to Earl Bennett to take the 31-24 lead, which was extended by Michael Bush on a 40-yard touchdown run. Cutler's touchdown pass to Bennett was the twenty-ninth passing touchdown of the season, which ties the team record set in 1947 and 1995. With 1:03 to go, Campbell threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon, but the Bears recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the victory, 38-31. The win marked the third time since 1970 that the Bears won all four games against an AFC division, and the first since 1986. The following night, the Bears would jump to first place of the NFC North after the Lions were defeated by the Ravens. The Bears had the opportunity to clinch the division in week sixteen by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, in addition to losses by the Packers and Lions.

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