On Sunday, Cutler outdueled his idol in a steady downpour at Giants Stadium, leading the Broncos to a seemingly easy 34-17 win against Favre and the AFC East- leading New York Jets .

Cutler paid no attention to the damp and dreary conditions and threw the ball all over the field with pinpoint precision. He completed 27-of-43 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns, compared with the 23-for-43, 247-yard and no-touchdowns outing from Favre.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan went as far as saying Cutler likes to play in the rain.

"He actually embraces throwing in the rain," Shanahan said of his third-year QB. "I think he'd rather throw the wet ball than throwing into the wind. Some guys get bothered and simply can't throw in the rain. Jay's not one of those. He's not afraid of it at all. Jay played very well under those conditions."

"I don't know if 'likes' is the right word," Cutler said. "I just don't mind it. It really wasn't raining too hard. They kept changing the balls and I kept my hands dry. I think a lot of it has to do with mind-set. We knew what the conditions were going to be like, so I just felt comfortable out there. If you don't let it get into your mind, you'll be fine."

Cutler said the conditions shouldn't be on one's mind once the game begins.

"If you start worrying about the bad conditions, you'll be in trouble," Cutler said. "You have to keep attacking and keep the offense open. You have to keep doing what you planned to do."

Cutler was especially effective in the first half, connecting on 18- of-28 passes for 230 yards, including a 59-yard pass to Eddie Royal he placed between two Jets defenders that enabled Royal to tiptoe along the sideline inbounds for the score.

Cutler hit seven receivers with passes in the first half, including little-used Chad Jackson, who caught his first pass this season, which set up Matt Prater's 25-yard field goal in the first quarter as the Broncos took a 17-7 lead.

Cutler said that he got a thrill facing his boyhood idol.

"Brett's one of the greatest players ever, and I've been a fan of his for a long time," he said. "I was able to talk to him before and after the game. He gave me some nice compliments.

"But trying to keep up with him is pretty hard to do. It's always fun to go up against one of the greatest ever and see how he handles himself, because you know he's not going to be around forever. He's running out of time. But I'm sure he's going to come back and have other great days."

Apparently, so will Cutler, especially when it rains.