ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dak Prescott provided the Chicago Bears a glimpse of what could have been.

Passed over three times by the Bears in the fourth round of this year's NFL draft, Prescott is on his way to eventually replacing Tony Romo in Dallas. The rookie quarterback calmly completed 19 of 24 pass attempts for 248 yards and one touchdown (123.6 passer rating) in the Dallas Cowboys' 31-17 victory Sunday night.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes and he reads coverages well," Bears safety Adrian Amos said. "He's good for them."

Added Bears coach John Fox: "Dak has operated well, and they do a good job of keeping it kind of tight."

Unfortunately in Chicago, the Dak Prescotts of the world do not exist.

While teams around the NFL have routinely used first-time starting quarterbacks over the opening three weeks -- Trevor Siemian (3-0), Carson Wentz (3-0), Jimmy Garoppolo (2-0), Prescott (2-1), Jacoby Brissett (1-0) and Cody Kessler (0-1) -- the Bears went with 30-year-old Brian Hoyer.

Hoyer is a competent backup. At times Sunday night, he played well and finished 30-of-49 for 317 yards and two touchdowns (93.7 rating).

But Hoyer is not the future. Jay Cutler might not be the future, either.

Cutler, who was inactive in Week 3, has sprained ligaments and a bruise in his right thumb. He cannot properly grip and control the football, which is why he did not play in Dallas. Knowing Cutler, he will probably push hard to come back against the Detroit Lions next week. Even if he somehow convinces the medical team to clear him for the Lions game -- and that could be a mistake if hand function is a problem -- the result will be the same.

The Bears have watched Cutler play for seven-plus years. They know exactly what he is. Cutler is a great athlete who can have good moments, but he rarely delivers wins of significance. The saving grace is Cutler's contract; it's team-friendly beginning in 2017, but do the Bears truly want to bank on Cutler for another year?

Don't we all know how the movie ends?

However, general manager Ryan Pace and Fox cannot move on from Cutler until a new quarterback materializes.

There is no Plan B, which is particularly galling when Prescott and the Philadelphia Eagles' Wentz dissected the Bears' defense on prime-time television over the span of six days. Or when Brissett filled in for Garoppolo and beat the same Houston Texans' defense that stymied the Bears in Week 1.

Even Kessler deserves props. His only mistake is playing for the cursed Cleveland Browns. He did enough to win at Miami, but the Browns botched a ridiculous amount of field goals Sunday.

Nevertheless, 2016 is the age of first-year NFL quarterbacks.

The phenomenon is sweeping the nation. Except, of course, in Chicago -- the city that probably needs one the most.