It’s too soon to know whether Jay Cutler will be available next week against San Francisco.

However, it’s perfect timing to worry about an offense that has made few improvements since its first practices more than three months ago at training camp in Bourbonnais.

Despite a 13-6 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, the Bears (7-2) remain a game ahead of the Green Bay Packers for first place in the NFC North. They will visit the 49ers (6-2-1) next week in a prime-time matchup that could feature backup quarterbacks Jason Campbell and Colin Kaepernick depending on how Cutler and Alex Smith recover from concussions that both sustained Sunday on helmet-to-helmet hits.