5:50 P.M. CST: I can’t help but think of the words of Bill Murray, a noted Chicago sports fan, during one of the closing scenes of Tootsie after Dustin Hoffman’s character reveals himself after going in drag the entire movie: “That is one … nutty … hospital.” To paraphrase, this is one nutty game.

5:51 P.M. CST: Broncos continuing to move … now at the Denver 34.

5:52 P.M. CST: The security blanket is smothering the Bears … A great 41-yard reception by Tony Scheffler takes him to 68 yards on four catches … moves the Broncos to the Chicago 25.

5:53 P.M. CST: Timeout, Denver … 12:08 on the clock.

5:55 P.M. CST: Brandon Marshall still having some trouble with the footing … he slips while cutting upfield, but his seven-yard catch-and-run has the Broncos at the Chicago 14 for the first down.

5:57 P.M. CST: Unbelievable … both Mannings — Ricky Jr. and Danieal — were entangled with Scheffler as a Cutler pass came into the end zone … somehow, Scheffler makes the grab by using his body to snag the pass before the football hits the ground … touchdown, Broncos.

5:59 P.M. CST: Best news of all for the Broncos on the play? The fact that Lance Briggs kicked the football, good for an unsportsmanlike conduct foul that will allow Todd Sauerbrun to kick off from the Denver 45.

6 P.M. CST: Video boards here showing Devin Hester’s previous kickoff return to try and fire up the crowd.

6:02 P.M. CST: Hester standing in the back of the end zone … something tells me that unless this ball goes out of the end zone, No. 23 is running it back.

6:03 P.M. CST: And … Sauerbrun kicks it away from Hester and not to the end zone. Bears take over at their 28.

6:05 P.M. CST: Tim Crowder now has four sacks in three games … He slams into Rex Grossman as the quarterback steps forward and out of the pocket … Ian Gold recovers, and the exodus has begun with some spectators streaming down the aisles and to the exits.

6:06 P.M. CST: Well, that pitchout didn’t work … and Hall loses eight yards after getting the ball with Mark Anderson bearing down upon him … Hall is now back below 100 yards, at 96.

6:09 P.M. CST: After a three-and-out, the Broncos’ special-teams issues continue, as Todd Sauerbrun’s punt is blocked by Charles Tillman … Brandon McGowan is among a pack of Bears that eventually flag down the football back at the Denver 18 … The exodus in the stands stops, and the fans are on their feet.

6:11 P.M. CST: Bears now at the 4-yard-line after John Gilmore slips and falls after receiving a pass … Clock now under six minutes.

6:12 P.M. CST: Adrian Peterson was swarmed … but he powered through a high tide of Broncos, refusing to hit the ground and eventually moving the scrum into the end zone … touchdown, Bears … 5:17 left, and Denver’s lead is just 34-27.

6:16 P.M. CST: Broncos will take over at their 30.

6:18 P.M. CST: There’s one first down … Broncos now at their 42 … Clock about to go under four minutes.

6:19 P.M. CST: Not much room available on the ground right now … Broncos now have third-and-10 after both Andre Hall and Cecil Sapp can’t find much room … Bears have used two timeouts this series.

6:22 P.M. CST: Cutler playfaked to Cecil Sapp on third-and-10 … Jay Cutler was promptly sacked by Adewale Ogunleye … Clock continuing to run; Bears will conserve their remaining timeout … Denver calls timeout with 3:07 left; the Broncos are now out of timeouts.

6:24 P.M. CST: Hester had trouble fielding the punt … Chicago manages to recover with 2:58 left. Bears take over at their 35.

6:26 P.M. CST: Third-and-10 now … Grossman’s pass for Greg Olsen pass goes incomplete … Bears with one timeout and 2:42 left … They have to go for it, you’d reckon.

6:27 P.M. CST: Fourth down fails … but it doesn’t matter … illegal contact on Dre’ Bly for shoving Muhsin Muhammad … five yards and a first down … Bly was flagged for shoving Muhammad as he ran his route … potentially a killer penalty.

6:31 P.M. CST: Rashied Davis with the reception …2 1 yards and the Bears are at the 31 … Now inside the 20 after a pass to Muhammad … Clock is no longer a factor now … So the Bears run… Adrian Peterson runs to the 7-yard-line.

6:32 P.M. CST: Clock continuing to run … Bears now at the 3-yard-line … Chicago calls timeout with 36 seconds left … They are out of timeouts … Bears now in third-and-goal at the 3.

6:33 P.M. CST: Grossman for Bernard Berrian with Karl Paymah all over him … incomplete.

6:34 P.M. CST: Touchdown, bears … Berrian makes the grab in the right corner of the end zone … Berrian got the grab in front of Champ Bailey …. he got one knee down, but it looked as though his elbow was out of bounds. It’s being replayed.

6:37 P.M. CST: Touchdown. Soldier Field explodes. The Broncos have lost a 14-point lead in the final five minutes.

6:39 P.M. CST: Broncos get the ball at their 33 with 21 seconds left … They have no timeouts remaining.

6:40 P.M. CST: Cecil Sapp runs for 12 yards and a first down … Broncos spike it with four seconds remaining … False start … Ten-second clock runoff … overtime.

6:42 P.M. CST: Broncos call heads … and the toss comes up tails. Chicago will receive.

6:44 P.M. CST: A squibber — or “worm burner” as Dan Dierdorf repeatedly calls it — is returned by Devin Hester just four yards to the Chicago 24. Broncos desperately need a stop.

6:45 P.M. CST: Desmond Clark got behind the entire Denver defense … Chicago in field-goal range now with one play … at the Denver 37.

6:47 P.M. CST: Bears now at the Broncos 25, keeping it on the ground.

6:48 P.M. CST: Five-yard holding penalty on Alvin McKinley … Bears now at the Chicago 20 with a first down.

6:50 P.M. CST: Bears calling on Robbie Gould on second down … It will be a 39-yard attempt … it’s good; game over.

4:59 P.M. CST: Back for the second half.

5:01 P.M. CST: Broncos in third-and-3 … Footing is difficult … Hall buried on third down as he had nowhere to run; Adewale Ogunleye burst through and was in the backfield before Hall received the handoff.

5:02 P.M. CST: Exactly what the Broncos feared … For the first time today, Devin Hester had space upon receiving a punt; he sprinted left and was gone, hurdling over a sprawled Todd Sauerbrun for the score … Seventy-five yards, and in a hiccup, the lead the Broncos worked 30 minutes to build is gone — 13-13.

5:06 P.M. CST: A special-teams disaster nearly continued after Glenn Martinez first opted to field a kickoff that was headed out of bounds, and then fumbled … Nick Ferguson somehow managed to recover the loose football, but a holding penalty on the Broncos will knock them further back; they will start at their 8-yard-line.

5:08 P.M. CST: Now it’s a collective disaster … Cutler’s pass for Brandon Marshall intercepted by Charles Tillman … Marshall fell as he was trying to come back for the football.

5:08 P.M. CST: Bears start at the Denver 14.

5:10 P.M. CST: Third-and-7 at the Denver 11 … Grossman keeps it himself on the draw play … comes about two yards short of the needed yardage … the football came loose, but the play was ruled down … Bears considering going for it … field-goal team has not come onto the field … Now it has.

5:12 P.M. CST: The football was starting to come out … at least it looked that way on the replay … because the Broncos recovered it first, it’s worth challenging — and the Broncos will. The replay rules were changed last year to allow for this play to be reversed … you can’t advance it, but you can have a change of possession.

5:15 P.M. CST: Broncos football. Challenge in the Broncos’ favor. Unfortunately, the blowing of the whistle cost the Broncos a lengthy return, but it nevertheless is a boon for the Broncos that it could be reversed. In 2005, the Broncos would have likely trailed 16-13 in this scenario.

5:16 P.M. CST: Another challenge by the Broncos after a Cutler pass to Brandon Stokley was ruled incomplete.

5:18 P.M. CST: A replay shown on CBS seems to show Stokley got the reception, but another one that went up on the boards above each end zone casts some doubt upon the validity of the catch … it looks like it may have somehow skipped off the ground … but I don’t think it did, for what it’s worth, considering where Stokley’s hand rests relative to where the football went.

5:19 P.M. CST: Denver loses the challenge.

5:20 P.M. CST: Three-and-out for the Broncos … Denver now down a timeout and out of challenges.

5:21 P.M. CST: Domonique Foxworth with the stellar tackle on Hester … Chicago takes over at its 40.

5:22 P.M. CST: Garrett Wolfe, who has the Bears’ longest play from scrimmage so far — a 25-yard run at the end of the half — is now in at tailback for Chicago.

5:22 P.M. CST: Chicago goes three-and-out after Rashied Davis drops the pass across the middle … Neither offense putting much together right now.

5:24 P.M. CST: Broncos at their 16 … Hall gets the call and he darts and spins forward for 10 yards … The initial first down for either team this half.

5:27 P.M. CST: Broncos now at their 39 after an 11-yard bootleg-and-lob from Cutler to Stokley.

5:29 P.M. CST: Another Broncos bread-and-butter play … flip to Hall … Tony Scheffler with a good block on Ricky Manning, Jr. … Hall gets 16 yards and moves the Broncos into Chicago territory.

5:30 P.M. CST: Security blanket … Cutler for Tony Scheffler … to the Chicago 25 … I use “security blanket” in the most affectionate manner, because I am a fan of Linus Van Pelt of Peanuts fame.

5:31 P.M. CST: The flip outside works again … Hall to the left … behind Scheffler … Hall for 23 … and he’s over 100 for the first time as a pro.

5:32 P.M. CST: Sapp behind Kyle Johnson in the backfield … Sapp goes behind Erik Pears … touchdown … Capping a 10-play, 84-yard drive — 5-yard score; Broncos lead, 20-13.

5:33 P.M. CST: Hall at 99 yards now after losing 3 yards on first-and-goal.

5:34 P.M. CST: Touchdown … Unreal. Devin Hester with two returns for scores … Absolutely backbreaking.

5:38 P.M. CST: Broncos begin the drive at their 32 … desperately need something to reply to Hester’s return … like that … Cutler for Brandon Marshall, 68 yards, one step past Ricky Manning, Jr. This game has turned from desultory to wildly entertaining … Broncos lead 27-20. What will they do on the kickoff?

5:41 P.M. CST: Crowd going nuts now; most of the fans are on their feet for Hester … and the Broncos squib it … Rashied Davis fields it and gets to midfield. Well, it’s better than a touchdown, I reckon.

5:43 P.M. CST: Grossman fires incomplete on third down and 8 from the Denver 48 … flag flies … personal foul on Fred Miller for yanking a face mask … The penalty is declined.

5:45 P.M. CST: Martinez calls for the fair catch at the Denver 11 … Broncos will take over there with 1:10 left in the quarter.

5:46 P.M. CST: Hall for three yards and he’s back above 100, at 102. He’s the 13th different runner under RBs coach Bobby Turner to go over 100 yards in a game for the Broncos.

5:47 P.M. CST: Did Stokley dance ballet as a kid? My goodness, what a gorgeous tightrope job on the sidelines for the first down as the quarter ends.

3:53 P.M. CST: Even on the scoreboard; nearly even on the stat sheet. Chicago has 58 yards; Denver 53. Broncos have four first downs; Chicago three. Biggest stat of the game is the two Bears turnovers.

3:54 P.M. CST: Brandon Marshall loses his footing … Fourth-and-5 from the 28 … Broncos look like they’re going to bypass the 46-yard field-goal try and go for it … Cutler in the shotgun … Finds Brandon Marshall for the first down … Cutler with a laser beam that found Marshall through tight coverage. Somewhere, go-for-it-on-fourth-down advocate Gregg Easterbrook is smiling.

3:56 P.M. CST: Touchdown, Andre Hall … taking advantage of Cutler’s nimbleness … the quarterback pitches out to Hall, who breaks a tackle attempt from Adam Archuleta — seeing a pattern here? Hall’s great at breaking open-field tackle tries — and heads for the end zone. Sixteen yards on the touchdown, and the Broncos lead 10-3.

3:59 P.M. CST: For the record, I love the option. Makes me feel like I’m playing NCAA Football on the PlayStation.

4:00 P.M. CST: Somewhere in a pile of players, Alvin McKinley made a good ankle tackle on Cedric Benson while down on the ground … Broncos have the Bears in third-and-4 at the 34 … Hester in at wideout … Benson takes off gets to the Denver 45 … Ball comes out, but it looked like he was down before the ball came out … and that’s what the officials rule … but Benson is down and it looks bad.

4:04 P.M. CST: Benson finally rises, but a cart will take him from the field … always a sad sign … Adrian Peterson — no, not that one, but the one from Georgia Southern. who was a record-breaking college runner in his own right — takes over at tailback.

4:06 P.M. CST: Bears still on the move … Peterson gets four yards, and then Jason McKie gets eight more on a pass from Rex Grossman.

4:08 P.M. CST: Oh, gracious … Grossman didn’t have a chance on the corner blitz from Dre’ Bly … Sack and a nine-yard loss … Bears in third-and-19 at the Denver 42 … Grossman finds Peterson on the short toss for seven yards … Not enough … A significant sack to take Chicago out of field-goal range.

4:09 P.M. CST: Some more boos as the Brad Maynard punt goes into the end zone.

4:11 P.M. CST: Mike Bell in at tailback as the drive begins.

4:12 P.M. CST: Another bullet dodged … illegal contact nullifies an interception.

4:13 P.M. CST: Finally, a bullet pierces the Broncos as Bell fumbles … not exactly what Bell wanted to show in his first tailback work all season … Bears in splendid field position at the Broncos 16.

4:16 P.M. CST: A holding penalty later, the Broncos have the Bears in second-and-19 … No matter, it’s a touchdown … but it’s coming back on a holding penalty against Fred Miller. Miller grabbed Elvis Dumervil right in front of referee Larry Nemmers … Bears have held Dumervil twice on this series and both have been called.

4:17 P.M. CST: Elvis Dumervil simply taking over this game … he sacks Grossman; Kenny Peterson is right there … Bears now in third-and-37 … Just trying to get back in field-goal range … and they will, with a 17-yard pass to Adrian Peterson … and here comes Robbie Gould.

4:18 P.M. CST: From 44 yards out … right down Michigan Avenue … Broncos’ lead trimmed to 10-6.

4:21 P.M. CST: Broncos not willing to risk Hall on kickoff returns? Glenn Martinez was back deep there … Hall back in at tailback.

4:22 P.M. CST: Hall slugs his way forward for six yards on first-and-10.

4:22 P.M. CST: Cutler rolls out … throws it to no one in particular. Broncos now in third-and-4 at their 29.

4:23 P.M. CST: The third-down pass skips off Marshall’s fingertips … should have caught that … Broncos now 0-for-5 on third downs … Sauerbrun’s punt will not be fielded and is downed at the Chicago 24 … 47 yards on the net … Bears called for holding (rookie Josh Gattis) … Bears will now start at their 14.

4:26 P.M. CST: The sun has set … but I doubt anyone notices on this chilly, drab day … Peterson gets about a foot after he slips as D.J. Williams hits him … and Muhsin Muhammad drops a second-down pass.

4:28 P.M. CST: Peterson goes nowhere on third-and-9 … Boos fall like the raindrops currently drowning the patrons in a chilly bath. Broncos will take over at their 33 after a 52-yard Maynard punt.

4:29 P.M. CST: Hall gets three yards on two carries … The back of his jersey is coated in grass and earth … He’d best get used to this kind of work … As the teams pause for the two-minute warning, Hall walks over to running backs guru Bobby Turner for a quick bit of coaching … Turner gives his latest protege a reassuring pat on the back before sending him back into action.

4:33 P.M. CST: Three flags for two holding penalties … one on Daniel Graham; one on Montrae Holland. Both are declined. Sauerbrun will punt … Hester goes right and calls it off as the ball bounces in front of him … a 43-yard punt with no return … Bears will have 100 seconds with which to try and score.

4:35 P.M. CST: Bears had the screen working … Grossman to Adrian Peterson for 17 yards … next play it’s short for Peterson as Josh Mallard closes in; Mallard gets the quarterback pressure; Grossman’s pass falls incomplete. Seventy seconds left.

4:36 P.M. CST: Great open-field tackle by Kenny Peterson to keep Grossman from escaping … Peterson has played quite well the last two weeks since returning to the lineup … Bears call timeout with 59 seconds left in the half.

4:37 P.M. CST: Near-interception by Gold on the pass for Greg Olsen … In and out of Gold’s hands … Nice play, but he’ll probably kick himself for not hauling it in … Maynard’s subsequent punt goes out of bounds at the … the … the … the official just keeps going … the Denver 31. Twenty-nine yards on the punt.

4:38 P.M. CST: An exquisite screen pass … Montrae Holland … Chris Myers … Brandon Marshall … great blocks … and Andre Hall with a determined jaunt across the field and up the left sideline, eluding tackles along the way … Sixty-five yards … Broncos now in goal-to-go.

4:41 P.M. CST: First-and-goal goes nowhere … second-and-goal … fade for Marshall… ball in his hands, but Charles Tillman knocks the pass away.

4:42 P.M. CST: Cutler on third down … rolls right … doesn’t have enough room with which to run for the end zone … throws short across the middle … neither Daniel Graham nor Marshall can get the pass … Broncos settle for a 22-yard Jason Elam field goal and a 13-6 lead.

4:44 P.M. CST: Squib kickoff … Rashied Davis goes 11 yards to the Chicago 46 … Bears take over there with nine seconds left … Grossman in the shotgun … Pass swatted away by Kenny Peterson, whose superb half continues.

4:45 P.M. CST: Garrett Wolfe with a 25-yard carry … a bit breathtaking before he goes down to the grass … finally he hits the turf. Will we see more of the pint-sized sprite from Northern Illinois, who smashed records during his college career in nearby DeKalb? He might give the Bears’ offense a spark it’s lacked through most of the half. Broncos, however, take the lead into the dressing room in a game that is as raw as the conditions in which it’s being contested.

2:57 P.M. CST: Temperature is 38 degrees … Forecast is for “considerable cloudiness” with drizzle and/or snow flurries … The mercury ought to drop after sunset at 4:24 p.m. CST, which should be sometime in the second quarter.

3:04 P.M. CST: National anthem time … If it weren’t announced by the press-box public address announcer, I’d never be aware of it, because this room is soundproof.

3:07 P.M. CST: The Broncos take the field.

3:09 P.M. CST: Still waiting for “Da Bears” … ah, there they come.

3:10 P.M. CST: Saw the following emblazoned on a camper outside Soldier Field this morning: “The Lord is my shepherd, but Mike Ditka is my coach.” I guess Bill Swerski’s Superfans weren’t just caricatures.

3:15 P.M. CST: Here we go … Todd Sauerbrun set to kick off.

3:16 P.M. CST: First kickoff to Devin Hester passes without much damage … Bears to begin at their 29. No surprises in the defensive starting XI.

3:17 P.M. CST: Two plays into the game, Bears on the move … Rex Grossman finds Bernard Berrian in front of Champ Bailey. Chicago at its 44.

3:18 P.M. CST: John Engelberger gets a paw on the football … Grossman’s first incompletion of the day, on the game’s third play.

3:19 P.M. CST: Broncos getting pressure early from both sides … Engelberger and now Elvis Dumervil. Third-and-10 upcoming … Grossman had plenty of time, but the Broncos were playing that well, limiting No. 8’s options down to a swing pass to Adrian Peterson. Bears to punt.

3:20 P.M. CST: Glenn Martinez fields the punt, spins and goes nowhere. Broncos to start at their 13. New England has just clinched a division title and a home game by virtue of Buffalo’s loss.

3:21 P.M. CST: I-formation to start the game … Andre Hall running behind Cecil Sapp; nothing there; he slips for no gain. Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley are the starting wideouts.

3:22 P.M. CST: No room for Marshall on the end-around. Third-and-10 … Javon Walker checks in; he’ll line up to the right of Jay Cutler, who’s in the shotgun … Cutler under pressure, nowhere close to getting the pass away … He fumbles; Broncos recover. A bullet dodged.

3:24 P.M. CST: Bears regain possession at the Denver 47 after a 7-yard Devin Hester punt return.

3:25 P.M. CST: Grossman under pressure on first-and-10; he steps out of it and finds ex-Broncos tight end Desmond Clark for 22 across the middle. Clark was wide open under the zone; Bears on the move.

3:27 P.M. CST: Cedric Benson with the Bears’ longest rush play of the day so far … Seven yards, leaving the Bears in third-and-1 … from which Grossman will sneak for the first down.

3:29 P.M. CST: Broncos catch a break as Benson falls in open space … Third-and-2 now at the 6 … Muhsin Muhammad catches the subsequent pass, but came down out of bounds … First body part to touch the ground was Muhammad’s hand … in the white of the sideline.

3:30 P.M. CST: Robbie Gould’s 24-yard field goal is good; Bears lead 3-0.

3:33 P.M. CST: I love nothing more than timeouts right after kickoff returns … Broncos take over at their 27 after Andre Hall’s runback.

3:35 P.M. CST: Cutler with a play straight out of the Vanderbilt playbook … keeps it for six yards.

3:36 P.M. CST: Quick playfake to Hall on second-and-4 … looks for Brandon Stokley, but the pass is a little late and behind him.

3:37 P.M. CST: Walker back in as the Broncos go three-wide … Cutler with a hopeful throw for Marshall up the right sideline that is incomplete … Walker called for an illegal-motion penalty, but it’s a red herring; Denver will punt after its second three-and-out in as many series.

3:37 P.M. CST: A low punt … Hester has all sorts of trouble fielding it … Chaos around Hester … Nick Ferguson, still a leader on special teams, dives on the football … Hester made a very optimistic stab at the football as it bounced away, giving a wave of white jerseys a chance to recover.

3:39 P.M. CST: Hall goes left behind a nice seal block from Cecil Sapp … 11 yards as Hall breaks a tackle attempt from Ricky Manning, Jr. … On the next play, Hall bounces off another potential tackler to get three yards from a play that would have netted one if Hall had gone down quickly.

3:40 P.M. CST: Heavy doses of Hall now … he gets eight quick yards, then loses two on first-and-goal at the 3 as he was buried under blue jerseys.

3:41 P.M. CST: Wow … wau too many blue jerseys closing around Daniel Graham as Cutler’s pass zips in … Four Bears in the vicnity … Broncos forced to settle for a Jason Elam field goal and a tie at 3-apiece.

3:43 P.M. CST: So far, the offense going as far as Hall can carry it. Cutler is 0-for-4 with a sack and Hall has accounted for 20 of Denver’s 22 yards from scrimmage so far, as well as both first downs.

3:44 P.M. CST: Mike Bell with the splendid open-field tackle on Hester … Sauerbrun got a low line-drive off on the kickoff and Hester squibbed it; might we be seeing a strategy developing here? Bears will start at their 19.

3:47 P.M. CST: First play of the drive … Karl Paymah with man-to-man coverage on Berrian, and the cornerback wins, putting all of Chicago on K.P. Broncos take over at their 41. Crowd boos.

3:48 P.M. CST: Cutler on the keeper to the left after the playfake to Hall … picks up six yards. Cutler averaging 6.0 yards per rush on his two carries so far.

3:49 P.M. CST: First Broncos completion of the day to a chap who knows all about flourishing in raw days like these … tight end and Michigan native Tony Scheffler. Five yards, and the Broncos are on the happy side of the 50.

3:50 P.M. CST: Cutler low for Brandon Stokley and his pass is incomplete. Cutler now 1-for-6 so far this afternoon.

3:51 P.M. CST: Cutler with the toss just beyond Lance Briggs … softly to Stokley’s grasp … Broncos now at the Chicago 33.

3:52 P.M. CST: A first-down run goes nowhere, but Cutler finds security blanket Tony Scheffler for 5 yards on second down … Broncos will have third-and-5 at the 28 as the second quarter begins.

Back from my pregame walk-around … and what would a trip to Chicago be without bellying up to the concession stand for some hot vittles on a chilly day?

Nothing says “Windy City” like an Italian beef sandwich at Soldier Field … this thing didn’t last long. Exquisite.

Your Denver Broncos starting running back … Andre Hall, making his first career start. This game will be on back in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Fla., and I know many locals back in the home region he and I share will be keenly watching the proceedings.

Only in Chicago is an Old Style valued anywhere close to a Guinness.

Still preoccupied with 1985?

One of the lines to a truly splendid fight song.