With a few days to assess the situation after the Chicago Bears' 31-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers, here are three issues that merit further examination:

Following their win over the Chargers, the Bears take a seat in the examination room. Kevin Seifert More than anything, my initial reaction to Sunday night's news on quarterback Jay Cutler was surprise. Cutler gets knocked around as much as any quarterback in the NFL, but Sunday will mark only the second missed start in his career since becoming the Denver Broncos' full-time starter in 2007. (The other was the result of a concussion suffered last season.) The 2010 NFC Championship Game notwithstanding, some of us might have taken his availability for granted. The acquisition of Cutler in 2009 brought stability to a position that had been a revolving door. The last quarterback to be the Bears' unquestioned starter for three consecutive seasons was Jim Harbaugh. Of all things with the potential to derail the Bears' playoff push, I'm not sure any of us considered a prolonged absence from their starting quarterback. That's a credit to Cutler's durability and toughness. A natural way to get quarterback Caleb Hanie into the flow is the screen game, which Cutler was running as often as any quarterback in the NFL. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cutler has thrown 33 screen passes this season, the sixth-most in the league. The Bears have gained 244 yards on screens, good for No. 5 in the NFL. Some early screens would also help neutralize the Oakland Raiders' hard-charging defensive line this Sunday, an important factor in the debut of any quarterback. For most of last Sunday's game, the Bears couldn't cause many problems with their four-man pass rush. During the first three quarters, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 17 of 22 passes against the Bears' standard rush, according to ESPN Stats & Information, including two touchdowns. Rivers did throw two fourth-quarter interceptions against a four-man rush, but you also have to consider his increased desperation given the score of the game. Like most defenses, the Bears are much better when they can count on their front four and leave their extra pass-rushers in coverage.

And here is one issue I still don't get: