Jay Cutler downplays bench incident with Mike Tice

During the second quarter, ESPN cameras televised Bears quarterback Jay Cutler get off the bench and walk away after offensive coordinator Mike Tice sat down next to him.

Cutler may have been frustrated with the late delivery of play calls from the sideline; he used a timeout with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.

But Cutler downplayed the incident after the game. Two weeks ago, in Green Bay, Cutler was captured bumping into left tackle J’Marcus Webb.

“It wasn’t about anything,” Cutler said. “I don’t have to sit by him the whole game, do I?”

Reporters are not permitted to speak to coordinators and assistant coaches after games, but Tice will next be available Wednesday.

Asked if there were communication issues, Bears receiver Brandon Marshall coyly said, “Jay frustrated?

“No, Jay’s never frustrated or mad. That’s part of the football game. We wanted to have a lot of rhythm coming into this game. It took a quarter to get there. We finally got there. I think we all saw the tempo of the game throughout the second half.”

Cutler responded, putting together one of his finest games in a Bears uniform.

He finished 18 of 24 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 140.1, his highest mark since the 2010 season.