Quick, name the NFL’s leader in QB rating.

OK, so a brief glance at the headline kind of spoils this little riddle. Otherwise my factoid here at the beginning would be obsolete.

Cutler does indeed rank at the top of the NFL with a 121.2 passer rating.

So then seriously, what has gotten into him? This is the same guy who led the NFL with 26 interceptions last year. SIX more than the runners-up, two rookies named Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez who were getting their first taste of the NFL scene.

However, that’s not entirely accurate. He does, in fact, carry the same name on the back of his jersey, but the 2010 Jay Cutler is clearly a different person, a different player.

So far this season, he has thrown just 1 INT in his first 65 passes. Last year, in the first two games, he threw 4 INTs in 74 attempts. All in all, the supposed “franchise QB” threw an INT once every 21.35 pass attempts last year. Obviously this year, he’s graduated to a percentage four times better (the aforementioned 1 pick in 65 attempts).

And that’s actually pretty surprising that he’s only thrown 1 INT because the Bears’ O-line is just as bad—if not worse—than it was last year. Here in Chicago, seemingly all anybody has been talking about since the first offensive series of the preseason is how much pressure Cutler has been under in the backfield and how weak the offensive line looks.

On paper, the stats show the line is worse (on pace for 40 sacks of Cutler allowed, as compared to 35 last season). In reality, the line may just simply be as bad as last year and there doesn’t look to be a savior on the horizon, so Cutler will continue to be running for his life behind center.

But, the rocket-armed signal-caller has been able to handle that pressure much better, as journalism magnate John “Moon” Mullin pointed out in a recent article at CSNChicago.com. He’s throwing the ball away, taking sacks instead of interceptions, scrambling and not forcing as much. He’s matured, plain and simple.

Cutler has also been the main benefactor of the big plays that coordinator Mike Martz’s scheme is known to produce, averaging 10.1 yards per pass, also the best mark in the league. His previous career high was just 7.5 yards per attempt, set back in his first full season as a starter in ’07.

But, is all of this for real? It’s only been two games, and one of those games came against the Detroit Lions, who have won just two games since the 2007 season. The other game was against the Dallas Cowboys, a team in the midst of a sufferable, disappointing 2010 season through the first two weeks. So, it’s not like Cutler has been going up against the Steel Curtain or anything like that.

But, the Cowboys still sport a solid defense in the 3-4 scheme that normally gives Chicago Bears teams under Lovie Smith the fits. And the Lions are much improved (even if their record doesn’t show it just yet), especially on the defensive line where Ndamukong Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams are great improvements over the front four who patrolled the D-line for the lowly Lions last season.

And Cutler certainly has matured. There’s no denying that. Last year, he didn’t necessarily throw his receivers or offensive coordinator under the bus, but a simple read-between-the-lines approach to his postgame press conferences and one-on-one interviews indicated that he was less than satisfied with the performances around him. This year, however, things are different.

The Bears turned in a poor 0-4 showing in the preseason in which Cutler, who only played in three games, was constantly under fire and never able to get into anything that even begins to resemble a rhythm with the offense. He was taking flak in Chicago, everybody was ready to throw Martz to the Wolves and the Windy City residents were calling for Smith’s head. But, Cutler never sold anybody out, never threw anybody under the bus. He stuck by the system, insisting Bears fans would be in for a good year from him and the rest of the Chicago offense.

And he was right, at least so far. My guess is he will continue to be right as the year wears on. Cutler is different, more mature. The offensive scheme is different, allowing for bigger plays which is actually quite perfect for the gunslinging style of Cutler. Yes, No. 6 can still rack up INTs in a hurry, but he can also rack up yards and scores in a hurry, especially under Martz. His receivers aren’t as bad as everybody is clamoring about, clearly, and with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor out of the backfield and Greg Olsen at tight end, the Bears are not shy about their weapons for Cutler.

He passed his first true test—on the road at Dallas against a defense that has made a name for itself with QB pressure the past three-four seasons—and will have another true test this coming week against the Green Bay Packers, who also sport one of those dreaded 3-4 defenses that plague the Bears.

Last year, Cutler struggled mightily in the Bears’ nationally televised games (Sunday nights, Thursday nights, Monday nights), with stats such as 56 percent completion rate, 263 yards per game, 4 TDs, 12 INTs. However, that was only in the first four national games of the season, all Bears losses. In the Monday night tilt with the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field in Week 16, Cutler threw for 273 yards and 4 TDs while tossing just a single INT.

Another note: starting with that game against the Vikes last year, Cutler is on a four-game winning streak, averaging 299.5 yards per game with a 64 percent completion rate and a whopping 13 TDs against just 2 INTs. Extrapolated out over a full season, that’s 4792 yards, 52 TDs and just 8 INTs. Now, he won’t put up those numbers, but it’s cool to see what he’s capable of.

This week’s game is maybe the truest test of the season, but if he passes (and possibly even if he doesn’t), Cutler should wind up as a Top 5 QB in fantasy.