It seems Kyle Orton has never been more popular in some parts of Bears Country than he is now, after helping lead the Denver Broncos to a 5-0 record.

Orton has thrown seven touchdown passes and just one interception for a passer rating of 97.4, 10th best in the NFL. His only interception came on a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half Sunday in a victory over the Patriots that was picked off by Randy Moss.

There seem to be a lot of Bears fans having second thoughts about "The Trade." But there are a lot of Bears fans so insecure and so desperate for Jay Cutler to be their savior that the mere mention of Orton's name in the same sentence with Cutler causes them to panic.

There's no need for that.

Cutler's 89.3 passer rating is 14th in the league, and he's thrown eight touchdown passes and five interceptions. Right now those stats aren't quite as impressive as Orton's, but they're still very good and continuing to improve since the horrid first half in Green Bay.

But that isn't the point. Numbers don't tell the whole story.

Cutler has done more with less, and he is the more talented quarterback. Cutler has the stronger arm, he's more accurate, he runs better and he avoids the pass rush better, thereby buying extra time for his receivers and minimizing negative plays.

Orton has the luxury of throwing to Brandon Marshall, who may be the most talented wide receiver in the NFL, and Eddie Royal, who had 91 reception and 980 yards as a rookie last season. It also helps that the Broncos defense is No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed and No. 2 in yards allowed.

Cutler has put up comparable numbers throwing to Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. Hester had 51 catches last season, Bennett had none and Knox was at Abilene Christian. The Bears defense has been good but not great. It is 13th in yards and points allowed.

Cutler has been superb in the fourth quarter, leading the Bears to comeback victories against the Steelers and Seahawks. His fourth-quarter passer rating of 111.5 is fifth best in the league. But Orton has been better, with a 138.7 fourth-quarter passer rating, second only to Eli Manning's 147.5. Cutler is 18th on third downs with a passer rating of 68.6, while Orton is fourth at 102.7.

And don't forget Orton's 26-12 won-lost record compared to Cutler's 20-21 mark. Sure, Orton was along for the 10-5 ride the Bears posted in games he started during his rookie season of 2005. But all Orton was asked to do that year was to not lose games, and he did a pretty good job of it.

In Denver, Cutler practically had to win games by himself or, at the very least, try to pile up enough points to offset a porous defense. He's 14-1 in his career when his defense allows 20 points or fewer, including 2-0 this year.

Now that he's got a defense capable of containing the opposition, Cutler's won-lost record should more accurately reflect his talent.

"The Trade" may be one of those rare ones that turn out well for both sides.