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Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman remains somewhat in awe of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson.

Tillman called Johnson the LeBron James of receivers last year, and on Wednesday, compared him to a custom player you can create on the "Madden NFL" video game. Asked what makes Johnson so difficult to handle, Tillman didn’t mince words.

“Because he’s so damned big,” Tillman said. “I think I said it last year, he’s like the LeBron James of wide receivers. He’s like that 'Madden' character that you can create in the game. He’s tall, he’s fast. He can catch. He’s got quickness. He’s got the speed, the agility, the leaping ability, the extra boost. He’s 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10.”

Yet somehow, in the last six meetings between these teams, Tillman managed to keep Johnson’s numbers to a minimum. Since 2010, Johnson has produced only one 100-yard outing against the Bears (Oct. 10, 2011), while scoring just two touchdowns. Johnson averages 4.5 receptions per game against the Bears since 2010 for an average of 71.3 yards.

Tillman, meanwhile, has racked up 37 tackles, broken up eight passes and intercepted two passes in addition to forcing two more fumbles in that span as the primary defender guarding Johnson.

“He’s a big, strong, physical corner,” Johnson said of Tillman. “He’s smart. He’s seen a lot of football, so he understands some of the concepts probably that we do on offense. He’s another great out there, one of the top corners in the league.”

Tillman declined to take credit for essentially shutting down Johnson over the last six meetings between the teams.

“I have a great defensive line,” Tillman said. “A lot of the plays that I’m able to make on Calvin have been because of my defensive line. If you take them out of the mix, I can’t do anything. It’s a team effort; rush and cover. I cover, they rush. They’ve definitely helped me out a lot. They make my job easier.”

Will Tillman be able to perform that job Sunday at Detroit? He left the game in the second half of Chicago’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers to rest a sore groin, and in the week of practice leading up to that game, he missed time to treat a knee issue.

The team held out Tillman for Wednesday’s practice, and Bears coach Marc Trestman said “he’ll be day to day.”

Tillman, meanwhile, was asked if there was any way he’d miss Sunday’s game at Ford Field.

“No,” Tillman said. “I’ll be there.”

The danger in getting excited about a 3-0 start is that pesky little thing known as "The Other Thirteen Games." Victories in the first three weeks can lead to a 15-1 season, as they did for the Green Bay Packers in 2011. Or they could mean a 2-11 finish and a fired coaching staff, as the Arizona Cardinals found out last year.

So let's keep our wits as we analyze the seven teams that have started this season 3-0. It has been four years since that many teams were still perfect after three weeks. The 2009 season offers another lesson in early conclusions: One of the seven (the New Orleans Saints) won the Super Bowl but two finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs altogether (the New York Giants and Denver Broncos).

So who is this year's version of the 2009 Saints? Are there any candidates to emulate the 2012 Cardinals? NFL Nation has some thoughts.

If there is anything to glean from the first three weeks of this season, it's the emergence of two early powerhouses. The Seattle Seahawks and the Broncos have outscored opponents by a combined 213-98, and their individual point differentials of 59 and 56, respectively, are by far the best in the NFL. (The next best is the Kansas City Chiefs at 37).

The Seahawks' path to Super Bowl XLVIII seems clear: Clinch home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field, where they have won 10 consecutive games, and book their ticket to New York. The Broncos, meanwhile, have scored the second-most points through three games in NFL history and only figure to improve as defensive stalwarts Von Miller (suspension) and Champ Bailey (injury) return to the lineup.

What about the rest?

Has Andy Reid built an instant Super Bowl contender in Kansas City, or will his Chiefs level off? Has Ryan Tannehill really developed into a championship-caliber quarterback for the Miami Dolphins?

Are the Chicago Bears for real after two fourth-quarterback comebacks followed by two defensive touchdowns in their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers? The New England Patriots are fortunate to be 3-0, right? And has Sean Payton restored the Saints' magic? Let's take the pulse of NFL Nation.

Which 3-0 teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders?

The Saints should definitely be considered as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, based on their offensive track record under coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. Not only did they win the Super Bowl in 2009, but their offense was even better in 2011, when they finished 13-3 and set the NFL record for yards gained in a season (7,474). I don't expect an exact repeat this year, but I think that's closer to the norm than last year's 7-9 season.

Especially with tight end Jimmy Graham healthy again and back to being one of the most difficult matchups in the league. Clearly, however, the Saints need to improve a run game that has been practically non-existent to keep defenses honest and keep Brees upright.

Meanwhile, the Saints' young defense has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this year under new coordinator Rob Ryan. I still expect a few growing pains before the season is over. But they don't need to be dominant for the Saints to succeed. And I think they can continue to come up big in some big moments. Players are clearly responding to Ryan's energetic approach and versatile schemes. And they have some bona fide talent to work with in every unit -- including emerging young pass-rushers Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette. That was the biggest question mark heading into this season. If the defense can keep playing anywhere near this level, the Saints could run away with the NFC South title.

The undefeated Miami Dolphins are arguably the biggest surprise in the NFL.

But can the Dolphins be serious Super Bowl contenders? Let's temper those expectations. The Dolphins absolutely have playoff potential. This is a franchise that hasn't made the postseason since 2008. Ending that streak and having a winning season should be Miami's primary goals.

A 3-0 start is terrific, especially after beating the talented Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons in back-to-back weeks. But the Dolphins certainly have holes.

Depth is an issue in several areas and will be tested. Miami could be without several defensive starters -- defensive end Cameron Wake (knee), defensive tackle Paul Soliai (knee) and cornerback Dimitri Patterson (groin) -- against the New Orleans Saints on "Monday Night Football." The Dolphins also face issues such as pass protection (14 sacks allowed) and having the 28th-ranked rushing attack.

In addition to the undefeated Saints, Miami has tough games against the defending champion Baltimore Ravens (2-1), New England Patriots (3-0) and Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) before the end of October. The Dolphins cannot rest on their early success. They must continue to improve.

The health and production of second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill is the biggest key. However, the Dolphins have a lot to prove over the course of 16 games.

Miami has a perfect record, but it's far from perfect.

Judging strictly from the numbers, the Kansas City Chiefs are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They are No. 1 in the AFC in scoring defense, No. 2 in the conference in scoring differential and, most importantly, tied for first place with a 3-0 record.

But it's another number, one that will be impossible to sustain, that's feeding the Chiefs' success and threatens to reveal them as pretenders once it begins its inevitable correction.

The Chiefs are leading the league in turnover differential at plus-9. They are one of two NFL teams yet to commit a turnover. That's a statistic capable of making a good team look great as long as it lasts. The trouble is, it never does last, at least not at this rate. Once their turnover differential starts to balance out, here is the advantage the Chiefs will lose:

The Chiefs have started 10 possessions on their opponents' end of the field. Their opponents have started one in Kansas City's territory, and even that drive began at the Chiefs' 49.

Such consistently favorable field position can make life easy for a team, and credit to the Chiefs for enjoying the ride while it lasts.

It won't forever. When it ends, the Chiefs will have to make their own way.

Their defense looks capable of doing that, but their offense needs a boost. When it doesn't get one, the Chiefs will suddenly look mortal.

This 3-0 team is better than the Bears squad from 2012, which started 7-1, and is a legitimate Super Bowl contender for a variety of reasons. The Bears have already scored three defensive touchdowns, but the major difference is the club is getting contributions from both sides of the ball and special teams.

Chicago provided evidence of that with quarterback Jay Cutler engineering back-to-back, come-from-behind victories over Cincinnati and Minnesota to start the season, before coming through in the clutch on the road Sunday, bailing out a struggling defense to clinch a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bears racked up nine defensive touchdowns last season, which tied for the second most in NFL history. But at this juncture last year, the unit had only one score, yet basically carried the entire team through its impressive first half.

Through the 7-1 start in 2012, skepticism existed because the Bears simply hadn't played good teams. This year, the combined record of the teams first three opponents is 2-7. But don't be fooled, this is a better Bears team.

Cutler is one of the main reasons for that. He's matured. He's accepted the coaching. He's putting in more time to sharpen his craft, while shedding the enigmatic gunslinger persona for a more controlled approach. His protection is better. The front office has surrounded him with more weapons and an offensive-minded coach in Marc Trestman, who is the architect of a system Cutler believes in.

If there has been one constant of Bill Belichick-coached Patriots teams since 2000, it's that they usually get better as the season progresses. Surely, there have been exceptions (2009 comes to mind), but there are no indications this year's team is headed down that path at this point.

The defense has exceeded expectations through three games, although a lingering question is how much of the unit's success is a result of playing weaker competition. Sunday night's game on the road, against the fast-starting Atlanta Falcons, should tell us more about the unit. And while the offense has struggled to find its groove, the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski should provide a boost and with Danny Amendola saying he envisions being 100 percent shortly, big-time reinforcements are on the way.

So if you're judging on the present picture, it's understandable that one would say this team isn't a Super Bowl contender. In a game against the Denver Broncos, right now, you would have to pick the Broncos. But this is about projecting what the Patriots could be, and at this point, there's no reason to think they won't evolve as past Belichick teams have. Many of those clubs have been Super Bowl contenders. 

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – If Charles Tillman's track record is an indicator, the veteran cornerback will be in the starting line-up Sunday at Detroit.

However, the great unknown is how Tillman’s body will hold up over the course of a game defending Detroit Lions All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson, a test Tillman has passed with flying colors in the past.

Tillman was held out of practice on Wednesday after a groin injury forced him to the sidelines in the second half of the Bears’ 40-23 Week 3 victory in Pittsburgh. The next man up for the Bears at cornerback is veteran Zack Bowman, who filled in for Tillman versus the Steelers and took most of the first-team reps at practice on Wednesday - despite being limited himself with a minor knee injury.

In the event Tillman needs a rest on Sunday, Bowman is the logical choice to defend Johnson because of his size, speed, athleticism and experience. Bowman was given the assignment of covering Johnson in Week 1 of the 2010 season when the Bears knocked of the Lions at Soldier Field. Johnson finished that game with four catches for 45 yards, although he almost caught the game-winning touchdown over Bowman in the back corner of the endzone, but the pass was ultimately ruled incomplete.

“Johnson is one of the biggest receivers in the league and one of the most physical,” Bowman said. “He really knows how to use his hands, get off the line of scrimmage and knows how to get open. I’ve faced him. We’ve all faced him, so we know that to expect.

There’s no trick against him. He’s not going to trick you. What you see is what you get. He’s just going to line up and play ball.”

Johnson has 17 receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions.

A former starter with seven career interceptions, Bowman has been slowly working his way back into a contributing role on defense after re-joining the Bears in October, 2012. Bowman’s main focus for the last year has been special teams, where he made a career-high 11 tackles in only 11 games. But with Tillman sitting out practice the majority of last week, Bowman received valuable first-team reps on defense. The same routine is expected to be followed this week leading up to the trip to Detroit.

“It really helps getting these reps,” Bowman said. “You know, I focus a lot of special team and stuff like that, so when you have an opportunity to get out on the field and get your feet wet it just helps you.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – While Henry Melton might be lost for the season with a knee injury and understandably demoralized, he still has figured out a way to offer the Chicago Bears a little bit more.

Melton reached out to the guy who will absorb much of his playing time moving forward, and Nate Collins was appreciative of the gesture.

“Me and Henry are really tight,” Collins said after practice Wednesday. “He said, you know this is something that happens to guys, and you just have to be ready and take advantage of it. I wish Henry the best. I know Henry’s going through a lot right now. Hopefully it will be a fast, healthy recovery.”

While Collins is itching for his chance, he knows it’s inevitable that his play on the line will be compared to Melton’s. The 6-foot-2, 296-pounder, who has spent much of his four seasons in the NFL at nose tackle, hopes he can be appreciated for his own unique skill set.

“I feel like I’m aggressive,” said Collins, who ran extra wind sprints after practice because he doesn't want conditioning to be a reason he might struggle. “I feel like I might be a little undersized, but in some situations playing inside that phone booth at nose tackle, it’s an advantage if I keep my pads down and use my leverage to my advantage.”

Stephen Paea still is expected to remain at nose tackle for the Bears this week, but alongside Collins at defensive tackle, the Bears could present something of a double-nose-tackle look at Detroit on Sunday.

“I feel like we’re both guys that can penetrate and push the pocket and we’re both small guys in there,” Collins said of lining up alongside Paea. “We try to use our leverage to our advantage, and when we go against bigger guys we have to stick with our technique and let our technique work everything out.”

First and foremost for Collins will be recognizing his gap and staying in it. He doesn’t have to come out and be the hero.

“The coach says every day, the star of the defense is the defense,” Collins said. “If we stay in our gap, then we’ll have an opportunity to make plays, and when the plays come your way you have to make them. That’s what I think I’ve been doing. There’s always room for improvement. Out here it’s not really about me, I’m just trying to get better.”

If anybody knows what Collins is capable of doing it’s defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. They were together with Jacksonville as recently as 2011.

“He’s a high-effort guy, a high-energy guy,” Tucker said. “He’s stout with a relentless mentality. He plays with a good pad level. He has a chip on his shoulder and I really like him.”

Now that Collins becomes a starter on defense, the question becomes how the Bears organize their rotation on the defensive line. Julius Peppers or Corey Wootton could move inside at times from their defensive-end positions, ramping up the playing time for defensive end Shea McClellin. Or the Bears could test their depth even further by calling on defensive tackle Zach Minter.

The 6-1, 297-pound Minter is an undrafted free agent out of Montana State who has not been active for any of the first three games of the season.

“The biggest adjustment is learning the margin for error,” Minter said. “There is little room to slip up. You always want to be on your game. Just the pace of the game, too. It’s why I lean on these guys, to learn from them and learn from the coaches and trust in the defense and trust in the older guys.”

Minter said he isn’t worried about the speed of the NFL game if and when he gets his first opportunity. He said the Bears go at full speed during much of practice. But now that he is on the cusp of some playing time, he has taken a minute to look at the big picture.

“I think you have to,” he said. “This is the National Football League. Not everybody gets a chance to play here, so when you do you kind of take a step back and figure out where you’re at while figuring out what you have to do to get better.”

While playing time will be a big opportunity for Minter, Collins is trying to downplay things. He was asked if this is the moment he’s been waiting for.

“I mean, you know, I guess you could say that,” Collins said. “But at the same time, just being on the team and having an opportunity to play on defense and being out there, that’s the opportunity. I’ve been on the field, and this is really no different for me. I just have to go out there and make the plays I need to make, and continue to just play well like I’ve been doing.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman was held out of practice Wednesday as he deals with a groin issue that cropped up late in Sunday night's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In addition, cornerback Sherrick McManis was also held out of practice with a quadriceps injury.

Bears coach Marc Trestman categorized both players as "day to day" after practice Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Tillman has already dealt with a number of issues during the first three weeks of the season. During the first two weeks he was playing with a knee injury, while also missing time during the Sept. 8 season opener because of dehydration.

Trestman deduced that the groin issue was probably the result of overcompensating for the knee problem.

Tillman did not play late in Sunday's game as a precaution, and the injury is not deemed to be serious and he could play Sunday at Detroit.

"We moved some people around today," Trestman said about his defense. "C.J. [Wilson] got some work today, obviously. And Zach [Minter] will continue to work over there [on the defensive line] as well."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' Week 3 Sunday night road win in Pittsburgh was on Kyle Long's thoughts until approximately 6 a.m. on Monday. That’s when Long finally went to sleep after the rookie decided to stay up and watch a saved television copy of the Steelers game, despite not returning home until 3:30 a.m. following the team’s postgame flight back to Chicago.

In the NFL, teams are required to move on from a victory or a defeat at lightning speed, and for Long and the rest of the Bears’ offense linemen, that means getting a jump start on their next opponent: the Detroit Lions.

Long said Tuesday night on ESPN 1000’s “Football Night in Chicago” he began the process of breaking down film on Detroit’s talent defensive tackle duo of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley since early in the week to get a jump start on the process.

“I’ve been doing some early preparations,” Long said. “I’ve been trying to sharpen my mental sword I guess you could say. I’ve been just trying to pick up some tendencies that I can use against their defense, hopefully.

"Suh is just relentless. He is a relentless football player. He is somebody that is just going to always keep coming and give you his best. He’s got that kind of presence where you’re like, ‘I can’t take a play off.’ If you do, he will expose you.”

The upcoming battle between Long and Suh could be especially physical on Sunday since both players are known for their strength and nasty on-the-field demeanor. Although Long has yet to cross the line after the whistle the way Suh has throughout his three-plus years in the league. Suh is without a sack through the first three games of 2013, but his 8.0 sacks last year was the second-highest total of any defensive tackle. Fairley is second on the Lions defense with 1.5 sacks, behind rookie defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (2.5).

“What people can’t see through all the time with all the media scrutiny is truly how great of a player Suh is and how great of a player Fairley is and the devastation those two guys can impose on an offense,” Long said.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler moved up a spot from No. 6 to fifth on the MVP Watch list of ESPN.com New York Giants reporter Dan Graziano, and is certainly deserving of the recognition, considering he currently ranks No. 3 in the NFL in total QBR.

You can rank the candidates here.

Cutler has led two comeback victories, and stepped up to make game-clinching plays during a clutch situation Sunday to put away the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here’s what Graziano had to say about Cutler: “This is the same guy who got called all kinds of unflattering names for standing on the sideline during the NFC Championship Game a few years back? This guy who lowers his (throwing!) shoulder at the end of a critical run play instead of sliding, leveling a defender in crunch time against the Steelers? Marc Trestman hasn't just turned Cutler into a more efficient passer, he's turned him into a superhero. It's the Adventures of Surly-Man!”

Trestman deserves recognition for Cutler finally starting to realize his seemingly unlimited potential as a passer, but new quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh has also been a major contributor to the signal-caller’s success.

Cutler spoke last week about his relationship with Cavanaugh, who joined Chicago after working as quarterbacks coach of the New York Jets from 2009-12, and admitted it’s easier to accept the coaching at this stage of his career, because he’s “older, a little bit more mature.”

“He’s a grinder, he’s a guy that comes in every single day, and he’s looking to help me get better,” Cutler said of Cavanaugh. “And, like on Wednesday’s, it’s hard, I don’t really want to do that, I’m tired, you know. But he pushes you through it. He does a good job. There’s some give and take there. In my younger days there might have been a little bit more rocky (of a relationship) than it is right now, but it’s going real well right now.”

Cavanaugh agrees, and called Cutler a willing pupil.

“He makes it easy [to coach],” Cavanaugh said. “He’s a talent. He works hard. He’s committed. He’s focused. He wants what we want: He wants the Bears to be successful. If you’ve got those things going for you, it’s hard not to have fun.”

Cutler said he and Cavanaugh share “some similarities,” and joked he doesn’t “know if the guy sleeps.” Cavanaugh, meanwhile, acknowledged the connection between himself and Cutler, before providing insight into the quarterback’s personality.

Head coach Marc Trestman called the pairing of Cutler and Cavanaugh “a good match.”

“I don’t think either one of us are really outgoing,” Cavanaugh explained about Cutler. “I think we’re maybe contemplative before we speak. I’ve noticed that about Jay, and I love that about him. He doesn’t just talk the talk. He’s usually thought something out, and that’s whether you ask him a question or he’s got a question for you. He puts a lot of thought into it. He’s a little introspective that way, and I think I am, too. I’d rather listen first than just pop out an answer if I’m not sure what I’m saying. So I think it allows us to communicate pretty well, and sometimes, it’s quiet around the two of us. We’re not saying a whole lot, but we’re both thinking.”

Then come Sundays, they’re both doing.

ESPN.com team reporter Michael C. Wright on the Chicago Bears' hot topics as they begin preparations for Week 4.

A weekly analysis of the Bears’ quarterback play.

Rewind: Forget about the paltry 159-yard passing performance and focus on the impact of what Jay Cutler did against the Steelers on Sunday. Cutler completed 67 percent of his passes for a passer rating of 90.8, but he stayed within the confines of the system as opposed to improvising and taking chances. Then, when the Bears asked Cutler to step up, he did just that during the game-defining drive in which he scrambled for a 13-yard gain (while running over a Steelers defensive back in the process) before firing pinpoint throws on third downs to Brandon Marshall for a 41-yard gain and Earl Bennett for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Fast-forward: Detroit sacked Cutler seven times in two meetings last season, including five times the first time the teams clashed last October. Don’t count on those types of sack totals this time around, as the protection is greatly improved and Cutler is getting rid of the ball much more quickly than he did in the past. Cutler likely will be forced to play dink-and-dunk ball Sunday to advance down the field as opposed to striking the Lions for big chunks of yardage. But the new Cutler has proved disciplined enough to do just that.

Stay consistent: Cutler was responsible for three turnovers in Week 2: two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown. However, he eliminated such mistakes against a desperate Pittsburgh team in difficult circumstances on the road at Heinz Field. Now, Cutler must do that again at Ford Field. Cutler currently ranks No. 3 in the NFL in total QBR and needs to ride the momentum he has established by remaining consistent.

Prediction: Cutler’s passer rating will be in the 90s again, and he’ll finish with at least two TD passes.

The Chicago Bears signed offensive tackle Roger Gaines and defensive end Cheta Ozougwu to the practice squad on Tuesday, and terminated the practice squad contracts of quarterback Jerrod Johnson and offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb.

Gaines entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens out of Tennessee State.

Ozougwu, meanwhile, played in two games with the Bears last season and contributed three tackles and another stop for lost yardage. It’s likely the Bears added Ozougwu to provide depth along the defensive line because the club could be looking to move defensive end Corey Wootton inside on occasion due to the loss of defensive tackle Henry Melton, who suffered a torn ACL on Sunday in the team’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ozougwu signed a reserve/future contract on Jan. 2, but the Bears waived him on Sept. 1.

Ozougwu's move to the practice squad could mean the Bears might be looking to promote practice squad defensive end Aston Whiteside, who spent some time in training camp also working inside at defensive tackle.

The Bears also held tryouts for defensive tackles Landon Cohen and Daniel Muir, according to an NFL source.

A weekly examination of the Bears’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 13 | Last Week: 9 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Chicago Bears passed a substantial test internally -- and obviously in the eyes of the public -- Sunday with their 40-23 road victory over Pittsburgh, and the panelists for ESPN.com’s Power Rankings rewarded the club with the No. 4 spot.

Off to their third 3-0 start since 1991, the Bears moved up five spots from ninth, with Seattle, Denver and New Orleans ranking first, second and third, respectively.

Elsewhere in the NFC North, Green Bay fell seven spots to 12th from No. 6, while Detroit moved up from 18th to 16th and Minnesota dropped to 26th from No. 23.

All but one of ESPN.com’s panelists voted for Chicago to occupy a spot in the top five, with two putting in bids for No. 3, two for No. 4, one for No. 5 and one for sixth.

The panelists made the right call in moving up Chicago because it faced a desperate Steelers team in Pittsburgh, and outlasted it in a game closer than the score indicated. Having taken a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, the Bears held off a fierce Steelers rally that saw the game get as close as 27-23 with 10:38 left to play.

The Chicago Bears jump into the top 5 of this week’s ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings following their third 3-0 start in the last 20 seasons.

New coach Marc Trestman joins George Halas and Neill Armstrong as the only coaches to win their first three games with the Bears.

Trestman was billed as an offensive-minded coach coming into Chicago, and his changes to the offense have made the Bears formidable on both sides of the ball.

Short and Sweet
The biggest change to the Bears’ offense this season has been the shortening of the passing game.

Last season Jay Cutler was one of two quarterbacks (Andrew Luck) with an average pass length 10 yards downfield. This season Cutler’s average pass has traveled 7.0 yards downfield, 27th in the NFL.

Cutler percent of attempts in 2012:


Cutler percent of attempts in 2013:

Shorter passes have led to more completions. Cutler has never completed more than 63.6 percent of his passes in a season, and has never been higher than 60.5 percent with the Bears. So far this season, Cutler has completed 67.3 percent of his passes.

The higher rate of completions is just one of the benefits to the shorter passing game.

Less Sacks
Shorter passes don’t take as long to develop which means Cutler has been able to get rid of the ball quicker.

This, along with some offseason improvements to the offensive line, have led to fewer sacks for Cutler.

From 2009 to 2012, Cutler was sacked on 7.6 percent of his dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL. This season he’s been sacked on only 2.9 percent of his dropbacks, the second lowest rate in the NFL.

More Forte
Matt Forte has averaged 24 touches per game through the first three weeks of the season. If the season ended today, that would rank as the highest rate of his career.

Trestman has gotten the ball to Forte more on the ground, with his 18.3 rushes per game ranking as his second highest career rate.

But Cutler and Trestman have increased Forte’s involvement in the passing game as well.

Forte has 18 receptions through three games this season (6.0 rec per game). Through the first five seasons of his career, Forte averaged 3.6 receptions per game.

Forte’s increased presence in the passing game takes some of the pressure off of Brandon Marshall.

Last season Marshall was targeted on a league-high 41 percent of his pass routes. This season, only 30 percent (with only a slight drop in production, -0.7 receptions per game).

Some Things Haven’t Changed
Not everything has changed in Chicago, and the Bears’ defense is proof of that.

Chicago’s defense has continued to force turnovers and put points on the board. The Bears’ three defensive touchdowns lead the NFL and equal the offensive output from both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.