Week 11 Booms and Busts: Jay Cutler, back in business

In the erratic and unpredictable NFL, it's important to stay grounded with outlier performances. Teams are never as good as they look on a snappy day, and not as bad as they look on a horrible night.

For one example, cue up the Chicago Bears.

When we last visited with Marc Trestman's crew, it was being thoroughly thrashed on National TV by Aaron Rodgers & Co. The final was 55-14, but it might as well have been 73-0. The Bears stunk on offense, on defense, and on special teams. It was a long and testy week in the Windy City.

Say this for Jay Cutler, he certainly has a short memory. The cocky gunslinger took dead aim at Mike Zimmer's Minnesota defense Sunday, slicing it open for 330 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 21-13 victory. Cutler also tackled on a timely 21 yards on the ground.

The hits (and the rare misses) were classic Cutler. He wrote checks that only a strong-armed quarterback can cash, and he threw to ostensibly covered teammates, trusting his mates to make contested catches. Alshon Jeffery (11-135-1) and Brandon Marshall (7-90-2) came through for their quarterback, boxing out the Vikings defenders regularly. Throw in 175 total yards from the reliable Matt Forte and you have a banner day for the signature Bears.

Cutler being Cutler, he threw a couple of messy picks. He was also stopped on a fourth-and-goal rushing attempt. But we'll happily live with the bottom line. (And even if you don't want to live and die with Cutler's game for fantasy purposes, his bounce-back effort makes it easier to trust Marshall and Jeffery going forward.)

Chicago's schedule still has a couple of Detroit matchups on the docket, but we'll worry about that down the road. We expect a bunch of yards and points next week when the Bears host Tampa Bay.

And speaking of the Bucs . . .

Other Week 11 Booms (early games):

-- Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers: We could offer a snarky comment about Washington's disorganized defensive scheme and personnel, but Evans is making everyone look bad these days. He abused the DC defense to the tune of seven catches, 209 yards and two touchdowns (36 yards, 56 yards). The scary thing, Tampa Bay isn't force-feeding the ball to its dazzling rookie. Evans has snagged 21 passes on a modest 29 targets the last three weeks, and he's now scored seven times in his last six starts.

Evans belongs in the WR1 lounge going forward, a matchup-proof target, and you have to love his chances to do something at Chicago next week.

-- Jeremy Hill, RB, and Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals: Like Chicago, Cincinnati was exposed and embarrassed in a Week 10 standalone game - and it didn't mean a thing one week later. Hill had a blast showing off for his LSU fans, gauging the Saints for 152 yards on 27 carries. Sooner or later the Bengals are going to get Giovani Bernard back, but Hill's made a strong case to maintain the featured role.

Dalton's narrative is similar to Cutler's – he rallied for a much-needed victory and quickly put Week 10's nightmare in the rearview mirror. Dalton made the most of 22 pass attempts, completing 16 of them for 220 yards and three scores. Skeptics will point out that Hill steered the offense more than Dalton did, but it was encouraging to see the Red Rifle flash his 2012-2013 form.

-- Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs: Charles has been a touchdown machine all year, but Sunday's 159-yard gallop through and around the Seahawks marked his first 100-yard performance of the year. He tacked on 19 yards with a couple of catches. Get your popcorn ready for Thursday, when Charles plays at Oakland.

-- Rams Defense: Remember all the nice things we said about this unit in August? Maybe they're off the restricted list. St. Louis sacked Colin Kaepernick eight times in a Week 9 upset at San Francisco, and Sunday's upset of the Broncos was downright shocking. Perhaps you'll want to dial up the Rams at home against Oakland in a couple of weeks.

Also booming (early games): Kenny Britt, Alfred Blue, Jermaine Gresham, Michael Crabtree, Rueben Randle, Ryan Mallett, (space reserved for Packers and Floyds)

In Week 11 Busts (early games):

-- The Mannings: Peyton's Broncos scored a piddly seven points at St. Louis, in part because of a series of injuries (Emmanuel Sanders, Julius Thomas and Montee Ball all left early). Eli threw a whopping five picks in a loss to the Niners (and tried for a sixth in the final minute). Archie's Saints were upset at home. Not a fun Sunday for the NFL's first family.

-- Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers: Just when you think a Carolina running back can be relied upon, the bottom drops out on you. Stewart stumbled to 24 yards on seven carries against the user-friendly Falcons, along with three short receptions. We won't be Boogying with Stew again anytime soon. DeAngelo Williams (10-41) was Carolina's primary back, perhaps with the Panthers regularly playing catch-up.

-- Robert Griffin III, QB, Redskins: The Tampa Bay matchup was divine on paper, and we'd been impressed by the Jay Gruden offense over the first nine games (with or without RG3). So much for logic. Washington looked overmatched Sunday, struggling to sustain offense and protect the pocket (RG3 also missed some downfield connections). Griffin threw two picks and absorbed six sacks, and only put one touchdown on the board.

-- The Saints: A New Orleans home game used to be the most bankable of all fantasy things, but that's dried up in 2014. The home folks watched a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati, and it didn't look that close on the field. Drew Brees completed 33-of-41 passes but nothing downfield – the Saints didn't have an offensive gain over 17 yards. Mark Ingram was a volume monster but otherwise disappointing (30 touches, 97 total yards, no touchdowns). Sean Payton needs to come up with answers in front of next Monday's home game against the rested Ravens.

Other Busts (early games): Travis Kelce (it's not your fault, it's not your fault) and Dwayne Bowe (maybe it is your fault), Teddy Bridgewater, Terrance West, Rashad Jennings, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed.