So, Thursday night's Packers-Bears tilt didn't go according to plan.
Billed by most football heads as an easy win for Green Bay, it was Chicago that left Lambeau Field with a 17-13 victory that reminded us again of how frisky this Bears team has become over the past month.
The defense is well-run by play-caller Vic Fangio, while Adam Gase's offense is milking some of the best work we've seen yet from Jay Cutler. The quarterback's numbers were pedestrian -- 19-of-31 passing for 200 yards and one touchdown -- but Cutler kept drives alive with a rash of quick throws over a Green Bay pass rush that accounted for just one sack.
Bears tight end Zach Miller said, per the team's official site. "I thought he made some huge plays on third down. He stayed in the pocket well. His leadership and confidence are so high right now. It is awesome playing with him."
Clinging to a 14-13 lead, Cutler was at his best directing a 15-play, 83-yard march that chewed 7:29 off the clock and put the Bears up 17-13 with Robbie Gould's 21-yard field goal. Even better, Cutler didn't turn the ball over all day.
"I think this has been a confident group all year long," Cutler said of the offense. "I think once we started playing some tight games, winning a few, we have been in a lot of games in the fourth quarter and we've won some and we've lost some. But the theme is that we have always been there, we've always had a shot. This team hasn't really flinched from that moment on. I think coach (John) Fox has been sending the message and guys have been listening and believing in him."
While the loss raises all sorts of new questions about Green Bay's destiny after another disappointing defeat, the frisky Bears, tossed aside by most before the season as a lost cause, are winning games in a way nobody imagined -- and Cutler has plenty to do with the unexpected surge.