Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler leads all NFL quarterbacks in this key third-down stat

Published Oct. 7, 2015 8:42 a.m. ET

foxsports

If your team needs to convert a third down to keep a crucial drive alive, who do you want at quarterback?

Peyton Manning?

Tom Brady?

How about Jay Cutler?

This isn't a joke. The Bears quarterback has actually been one of the NFL's finest on third downs this year. He's completing 76.9 percent of third-down tosses and 69.2 percent of them have gone for first downs, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.

Cutler's hamstring injury, which sidelined him for a game-and-a-half, has devalued an otherwise efficient start to the season. In the two full games in which Cutler has played, the Bears are 1-1 with a close loss to the undefeated Green Bay Packers in Week 1. They are 0-2 when backup Jimmy Clausen plays.

If the Bears want to rebound from their 1-3 start this season, the key will be to keep Cutler healthy.