Kyle Orton has had a solid, but not spectacular, first season for the Denver Broncos.

Now the question remains: Was it a playoff-worthy performance?

Orton and the Broncos will have to end a three-game losing streak Sunday against Kansas City, a team they beat by 31 points a month ago, to have any hope at a wildcard playoff berth. Then they will still need help from other teams to sort out the mess of the AFC playoffs.

A win would also leave the Broncos with the exact same record – 9-7 – that the Bears had last year with Orton at the helm. Never mind that the team has been in a free fall after a 6-0 start.

Orton threw three touchdowns and led Denver back from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit against Philadelphia on Sunday. But the Eagles came back to win it on a David Akers field goal with four seconds left. And that left Orton and the Broncos – considered playoff shoo-ins at Halloween – on the outside looking in.

Then there’s Jay Cutler.

In a season of disappointment, Cutler played his best game of the season – finally leading the Bears to a victory in a Monday night game. Cutler threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, including a 39-yard game-winner to Devin Aromashodu in a 36-30 overtime win over Minnesota.

Cutler’s numbers have dropped off considerably this season. Last year, he threw for more than 4,500 yards, 25 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The TD-INTs have been reversed this year, and he’s on pace to throw for nearly 1,000 fewer yards. He’s the 23rd-rated quarterback in the league, behind even Alex Smith and Chad Henne, and he leads the league in picks.

Here’s the breakdown of both quarterbacks this week, along with video compliments of the NFL Network:

JAY CUTLER

Team’s record: 6-9

Completions-attempts/percentage: 314-519 (60.5 percent)

Yards: 3,390 (226 yards per game; 6.53 yards per attempt)

Touchdowns: 23

Interceptions: 26 (leads the NFL)

Sacks: 33

Analysis: Aromashodu has bounced around the league and has spent time on taxi squads. He was hurt before the start of the season and didn’t get a lot of playing time. But look at what Cutler can do with young receivers such as him, former Vanderbilt teammate Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. He makes guys who weren’t playing last year—or barely playing in Aromashodu’s case --  look good this season.  While the Cutler-Orton trade may look lopsided for now, know that Cutler, Knox (taken the fifth-round draft pick that came in the trade) and the Bears offense will get some much-needed help – and possibly some new coaching – in the offseason.

KYLE ORTON

Team’s record: 8-7

Completions-attempts/percentage: 304-485 (62.6 percent)

Yards: 3,371 (224.7 per game; 6.95 per attempt)

Touchdowns: 20

Interceptions: 9

Sacks: 27

Analysis: Coach Josh McDaniels continues to utilize Orton’s pop-gun arm. Against the Eagles, Orton completed 27 passes for 189 yards – only seven yards per completion. But this is surprising: Orton has been only slightly more productive in Denver’s system than Ron Turner’s plodding offense in Chicago. Through 15 games with the Bears last year, Orton had 272 completions in 472 attempts (62.4 percent) for 3,182 yards. He’s thrown for two more touchdowns as a Bronco and has had three fewer interceptions than when he was a Bear. But his numbers with the Broncos – and results – are amazingly similar.

--MIKE REILLEY
Follow him on Twitter @bearsblogblitz