49ers 10, Bears 6

If that's what a franchise quarterback looks like, please bring back Kyle Orton ... or Cade McNown.

I'm exaggerating, but Chicago QB Jay Cutler played at a McNown level in last night's must-win at San Francisco. How many of his five interceptions were Cutler's fault can be debated — the consensus is that he is truly to blame for only the first and last picks. Here's my counterargument — two is too many for a guy that made so few plays when so much is expected of him and his team needed him to come through to have any real chance at the playoffs.

Cutler was part of an offense that failed spectacularly across the board. Matt Forte had as good a game as a running back that gains 41 yards on 20 carries can have, as he was excellent in a receiving role. But he and the offensive line failed yet again to generate a ground attack, and the line failed to protect Cutler. The receivers — Devin Hester, in particular — had their worst game of the season.

It's a shame, because the defense actually played very well. The 49ers scored their only touchdown after taking over at the Chicago 14 following a Cutler interception. Otherwise Tommie Harris showed up for the first time since 1996, Lance Briggs was all over the field and the secondary was very solid.

There was one area in which the defense failed — penalties. The Bears were called for the simplest of things, being offsides, numerous times, including once when it wiped out an interception. There were also false starts, illegal formations and delay of games called on the Bears. In other words, coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Ron Turner once again had a terrible week.