The Birds and the Bears: Sunday Football Preview
Last season, the Seahawks' improbable playoff run came to an end at Chicago's Soldier Field. Today, they return to the lakeside stadium in an effort to make an equally improbable return to the postseason in 2011.
The Bears are a much different team than the squad Seattle faced last winter. They are in the middle of a three-game losing streak, their latest defeat coming at the hands of the Holy Tim Tebow tour. Their downward spiral is compounded by starting quarterback Jay Cutler being out with an injury, which leaves Caleb Hanie in charge of the offense (that's not a good thing). The offensive difficulties are more pronounced due to the fact that star running back Matt Forte is out and his replacement Marion Barber made some real head-slapping errors last week. With explosive kick returner Devin Hester listed as questionable for today's game and receiver Sam Hurd released from the team in the wake of his failed bid to become a drug kingpin, yard-generating options are even more diminished. You know something's up when even the Chicago sportswriters are picking Seattle to win today.
If Seattle does pull off the win today, it would put them at .500 for the first time this season and would move them ahead of Chicago in the NFC Wild Card race. So, do the Seahawks have what it takes to beat Chicago this afternoon?
Keys to a Seahawks Win
1. Beast Mode. Marshawn Lynch is just a few dozen yards from breaking the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his 2008 season and one touchdown shy of racking up double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his career. He's easily one of the best backs running in the league right now, and the Chicago defense's recent slide in their run defense is coming at exactly the wrong time with Lynch coming to town. The Bears will undoubtedly be ready for him, so we're going to need some extra beast mode to pull off the win today.
2. Confound Caleb. Caleb Hanie has been around the pro game since he was picked up by the Bears in 2008, but he's been playing like it's the first time he's seen a football in his last few starts. If the Seahawks can keep this quarterback confused, the Bears will have a difficult time getting points on the board.
3. Going the Distance. Tavaris Jackson seems to have found his short game rhythm, and we are happy to finally see passing touchdowns join Marshawn Lynch's rushing TDs on the scoreboard in recent games. But, there is a whole lot of football field being ignored when Jackson puts the ball in the air; 30-yard passes seem to be his upper limit as of late. We know he's capable of launching it downfield, and the Bears pass defense is ripe for the picking, so come on, let's try for some big plays today. Word of caution though, with Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher charging at you, Jackson shouldn't abandoned the scramble and short plays entirely.
