Meanwhile, Grossman turned in his second consecutive lackluster performance, completing 1 of 4 passes for six yards. Granted, Grossman was hampered by poor offensive line play in the second preseason game, but he managed just 74 yards while hitting 9 of 15 passes and finished with a 44.9 passer rating as he failed to lead the offense past midfield in five possessions. Considering the line issues could linger well into the regular season, Smith needed to see more out of Grossman in Seattle to keep the competition open.

Orton finished 5-for-9 for 43 yards against the Seahawks, but was impressive in the two-minute offense, completing 5 of 7 passes -- including four to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd for 37 yards.

Now that the Bears know who will be starting against the Colts, they have to address their pass-protection issues to give Orton a chance to succeed.

Left tackle Chris Williams' rookie season is in jeopardy following back surgery. Instead of moving John Tait back to the left side, the Bears have thus far kept him at his more natural right tackle spot, where he swapped to after Williams was selected in the first round of last April's draft.

Journeyman John St. Clair has been inserted at left tackle, where six of his 39 career starts have come. St. Clair played next to inexperienced second-year man Josh Beekman against Seattle and San Francisco with starting left guard Terrence Metcalf sidelined following a knee scope.

Metcalf is hoping to play in the final preseason game, giving Beekman a chance to win the starting job for the Colts game. It's a crash-course for Beekman, who spent most of the offseason backing up center Olin Kreutz.

The Bears don't know what they have along the offensive line or at quarterback, but the quarterback decision figures to be popular among Bears fans, who gave Orton a rousing welcome at the team's Friday night practice at Soldier Field on Aug. 1 while Grossman was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos.

When Orton takes the field against the Colts, he will be making just his fourth regular-season start since 2005, when he started 15 games as a rookie. Orton started the final three games last season after not seeing a single snap through the first 13 games.

Following a 20-13 loss at Minnesota in which he threw an interception, Orton completed 21 of 42 passes (50 percent) for 294 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in leading victories at home against Green Bay and New Orleans to close out the season.