Jay Cutler got the last laugh — and now he can put Denver in his rearview mirror for good.

The Pro Bowl passer, who forced a blockbuster trade out of Denver last spring and became the Chicago Bears' first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman, returned to Invesco Field last night and led his new team to a 27-17 preseason win over the Broncos (0-3).

Cutler disregarded the thousands of hecklers, including Broncos pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil, in leading Chicago on three scoring drives, capped by a 12-play, 98-yarder just before halftime that gave the Bears a 17-3 lead.

"It's a little bit weird. Different locker room, different sideline," Cutler said. "But that's how it goes. I love where I'm at in Chicago. I think we're heading in the right direction offensively."

Not so in Denver.

The adversary he left behind, Broncos rookie coach Josh McDaniels, had a distressing home debut. So did Denver's new quarterback, Kyle Orton, who gashed his right index finger to cut short a middling performance against his former team and left his new club to wonder if he'll be ready for the season opener in two weeks.

Cutler dodged a heavy blitz package and threw for 144 yards and a score in a crisp 15-for-21 performance. He called it a night at halftime and basked in the glow of his successful return to Invesco Field, where just eight months ago he was a beloved figure, a Pro Bowl passer and the heir apparent in this town to Hall of Famer John Elway.

While fans came to jeer him, they also saw why they'll miss Cutler.

"I thought it was going to be like this," Cutler said. "They got good fans here. A lot of boos — they got pretty loud there at one point. It was what we kind of prepared for."

At one point on the Bears' 98-yard TD drive, the jeers turned to cheers when Dumervil blew past left tackle Orlando Pace for a third time and put a hit on Cutler after he had released the ball. The personal foul gave the Bears (2-1) a first down at the Denver 14, but the riled-up crowd didn't care.

Two plays later, Cutler feathered a 6-yard pass to running back Matt Forte in the end zone.

PATRIOTS

LB BRUSCHI TO RETIRE

Tedy Bruschi is retiring after a 13-year career marked by an inspiring return to the New England Patriots as a starting linebacker eight months after a stroke.

A person familiar with his decision told The Associated Press last night that the 36-year-old Bruschi will announce his retirement at a news conference this morning. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

The team declined to comment last night and called a news conference "for an important player announcement" today.

Bruschi, an inside linebacker, played on all three Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams. The last championship game was on Feb. 6, 2005, against the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in his only Pro Bowl on Feb. 13 in Honolulu.

Three days later, he was hospitalized after experiencing numbness in his left arm and left leg and blurry vision and was diagnosed with a mild stroke.

He recovered to play nine of the last 10 games that season, all starts, and was named The AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Bruschi's play declined last season and he missed much of this year's training camp for undisclosed reasons.

A third-round draft choice out of Arizona in 1996, Bruschi worked his way up from a part-time player and member of special teams units to full-time starter in 1999.

BENGALS

OT SMITH SIGNS DEAL

Offensive tackle Andre Smith signed a contract yesterday with the Cincinnati Bengals, ending an impasse that dragged on a month into the preseason.

The Bengals originally planned to have Smith start at right tackle, but he has missed three preseason games. He was in Cincinnati and agreed to the deal shortly before the start of a late afternoon practice, allowing him to get back on the field.

The Bengals finish their preseason schedule with a home game against Indianapolis on Thursday.

"We'll ease him into practice, see where his conditioning level is and see where he is this week," coach Marvin Lewis said. "We haven't made a decision about Thursday and won't know until after Wednesday."

Smith, the sixth overall pick, was the highest unsigned NFL pick with one week left in the preseason. The Bengals had insisted on paying him less than a player taken later in the draft, Oakland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, leading to the impasse.

Smith's contract leaves Michael Crabtree, drafted by San Francisco with the 10th overall pick, as the only unsigned first-round selection.

Smith's four-year deal includes $21 million guaranteed. Cincinnati has an option after the 2010 season that would turn it into a six-year deal that includes $29.5 million guaranteed. Heyward-Bey got a five-year deal with $23.5 million guaranteed from the Raiders.

ELSEWHERE

49ers: San Francisco strong safety Michael Lewis sustained his second concussion in 11 days and will be evaluated this week before he can return to action. Lewis, who has played sparingly this preseason because of injuries, took a knee to the helmet Saturday during the first quarter of the 49ers' 20-13 win in Dallas.

Eagles: The Philadelphia Eagles are changing their starting middle linebacker two weeks before the start of the regular season. Omar Gaither is taking over for Joe Mays. Mays had replaced Stewart Bradley, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Gaither was the starter in 2007.