Ex-Bronco enjoys trip to Denver

DENVER (AP) — Jay Cutler got the last laugh.

The Pro Bowl passer, who forced a blockbuster trade out of Denver last spring and became the Chicago Bears’ first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman, returned to Invesco Field on Sunday night and led his new team to a 27-17 preseason win over the Broncos.

Cutler disregarded the thousands of hecklers, including Broncos pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil, in leading Chicago on three scoring drives, capped by a 12-play, 98-yarder just before halftime that gave the Bears a 17-3 lead.

The adversary he left behind, Broncos rookie coach Josh McDaniels, had a distressing home debut, as did Denver’s new quarterback, Kyle Orton, who gashed his right index finger to cut short a middling performance against his former team.

Cutler threw for 144 yards and a score in a crisp 15-for-21 performance before calling it a night at halftime and basking in the glow of his successful return to Invesco Field, where just eight months ago he was a beloved figure, a Pro Bowl passer and the heir apparent in this town to Hall of Famer John Elway.

While fans came to jeer him, they also saw why they’ll miss this immensely talented young quarterback.

“I thought it was going to be like this,” Cutler said. “They got good fans here. A lot of boos — they got pretty loud there at one point. It was what we kind of prepared for.”

Some of the night’s catcalls were directed at McDaniels, the brash, 33-year-old rookie head coach who chased off his franchise quarterback shortly after replacing Mike Shanahan and now finds himself in a bitter feud with star receiver Brandon Marshall, whom he suspended for insubordination last week.

Wearing a hoodie like his mentor, Bill Belichick, McDaniels was hampered by an ineffective offense that committed multiple mistakes and plenty of penalties.