CHICAGO -- Jay Cutler is just like you.

Sure, he's better-dressed, filthy rich and has the most scrutinized job in the city, but like most of Chicago, he too was curious to see how the New Bears Offense would perform in its debut.

Jay Cutler wasn't sacked once Sunday as Marc Trestman's goal of keeping his quarterback clean was achieved. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

And he's the guy running it. After four years of unfulfilled promises, three offensive coordinators and enough sideline spats for a "30 for 30" special, I wouldn't blame him for being nervous.

This is a contract year for Cutler and perhaps his last chance of making good on the promise of a special career.

"I think there was a little bit of nerves throughout the locker room, including me," he said after the Bears' 24-21 season-opening comeback victory over Cincinnati. "There's a lot of question marks. How are we going to do on offense? What plays are going to work? Are we going to be able to block? Am I going to be able to complete balls? It wasn't pretty, it wasn't perfect. It wasn't going to be. We made plays when we had to make plays."

That they did. Like on third-and-3, fourth-and-1 and first-and-10. Those are good times to make plays, especially when they come on the same pivotal drive in the fourth quarter.

The Bears showed something in the fourth quarter.

It was on that game-winning drive, with the Bears trailing talented but undisciplined Cincinnati 21-17, those nerves Cutler talked about turned into nervy plays.

On third-and-3 from the Chicago 26, Cutler had plenty of time to find his buddy Brandon Marshall streaking down the right sideline for a 38-yard gain. Nothing new there, except Cutler admitted the star wideout wasn't the first option on the play. He wasn't the second either.

"We wanted to try and get Marty [Bennett] down the middle again, they covered that up," Cutler said. "We had a checkdown to Alshon [Jeffery] in the left flat, they covered that. B was kind of the third, late read there. It got to him a click late, but he still made a great play on it." That's how an offense is supposed to work.

After a Bennett holding call made it second-and-20 -- shades of Kellen Davis -- Cutler found all his receivers covered, saw a hole in the middle of the defense and ran 18 yards.

That's when a quarterback is supposed to run.