Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 5, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

You can bet that Bears fans will be tuning in this weekend to watch the playoff games between the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.  If the Eagles beat the Packers, they will travel to Solider Field to take on the Bears on January 16th. 

If the Packers win, then the winner of the Saints/Seahawks game will come to Chicago to play the Bears. Chicago hasn’t played the Saints this season, but has had some success against them in the recent past.  The Bears did play the Seattle Seahawks at home this year, in Week Six, and lost 23-20.  Chicago beat the Eagles in Week 12 by a score of 31-26.

So which team would be the ideal choice for the Bears to face in their first game in the playoffs?  Should they play a familiar foe?  One they have beaten or someone they haven’t faced yet this year? Let’s take a look at each team and try to figure out which one would be the best for the Bears to face on January 16th.

This is the first of a four part series outlining the three teams that the Bears could possibly face in their first game of the playoffs culminating in a tie in as to which would be the best team for Chicago to face.

Seattle Seahawks

As stated, these two teams have met before and the Bears lost to the Seahawks in that game, but weren’t dominated during the contest.  The Bears were undergoing some problems on offense and couldn’t protect quarterback Jay Cutler at that time (granted, they still might not be able to do it, but they are better now) so he was sacked several times and just couldn’t get into a rhythm.  

Chicago wasn’t running the ball as well at that time either, which had a direct impact on their loss.  They are running the ball much better now and can win games with their running game.  The question is could they beat the Seahawks now?

Looking at the statistics for both teams, the Bears are averaging 188 yards of passing per game while the Seahawks are allowing teams to throw for an average of 249 yards per game.  The Bears should be able to pass the ball effectively as long as they can contain the Seahawks pass rush, which was something that they struggled to do in their first meeting.

In that first meeting, Seattle sacked Cutler five times. 

The Seahawks have gotten a respectable 27 sacks this season while the Bears offensive line has allowed 56 sacks this year.  The Bears have to protect Cutler in order to have success.  

Chicago can run the ball and has been averaging 101 yards per game while Seattle has been allowing teams to rush for 118 yards per game. 

The Seahawks are having some problems at the quarterback position. If they do indeed play the Bears on the 16th we still may not know who the starting quarterback will be.  Right now, Charlie Whitehurst is going to start their game against the Saints this weekend but Matt Hasslebeck could end up playing at some point and quite possibly could end up starting against the Bears if Seattle gets there.

Over the 16 game schedule, the Seahawks are averaging 208 yards per game through the air while the Bears defense is allowing teams to get 224 yards per game through the air.  Most of the yardage gained has come as a result of the Bears jumping out to big leads and forcing teams to try to pass their way to victory.  

Chicago needs to get pressure on whoever is the quarterback. The Bears have had success getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks but it hasn’t been consistent.  During the regular season, the Bears have managed to get 34 sacks on opponents while the Seahawks have allowed their quarterbacks to get sacked 35 times. 

In the first game, the Bears failed to sack Hasslebeck but their pass rush has gotten so they could get to the quarterback in a game between these two teams.

Seattle had some moderate success running the ball when these two teams first met but they have had some inconsistency in the running game throughout the season.  Their per game average on the ground was 89 yards while Chicago’s defense is allowing teams to gain an average of 90 yards per game. 

Chicago has had a lot success shutting down opponents’ rushing attacks and shouldn’t have too much of a problem doing it against the Seahawks.

Defensively, what really caused the Bears collapse against the Seahawks was their inability to stop their passing attack.  They allowed wide receiver Mike Williams to catch over 120 yards in passes while allowing Hasslebeck to move the ball through the air effectively.  Chicago needs to get pressure, force mistakes and stop the Seahawks passing game.

Statistically, this game looks like a pretty even matchup but a lot has changed since these two teams played each other in Week Six.  The Bears lost two games in a row (including the one to Seattle) and went into their bye with some problems to work out. 

They came out a much better team and ended up reeling off five straight wins and eventually going 7-2 in their last nine games.  So it’s safe to say things have changed for the Bears.

On their face, the Seahawks look like the weaker team and it would appear as if Chicago wouldn’t have much trouble beating them, especially now with the way that they are playing.  Seattle has fallen on some hard times this season and just aren’t quite the team that they are statistically.  

If Chicago can ratchet up the pass pressure and keep the Seahawks quarterback from dinking and dunking the ball down the field like the last time, then they should win this game.  Getting pressure with just the front would be the best scenario but if they need some extra help from the linebackers to blitz then so be it.

The offense has to protect Cutler in order to have success in this or any other game.  They need to make sure that he can get into a rhythm, get plenty of time to throw the ball and that his receivers have time to finish their routes and get into position for a catch.  If they are able to do this, Chicago will win this game.

Running the ball will also be important for the Bears.  If they can have success here then they could easily control the game and end up with a win.

So would it be ideal for the Bears to face the Seahawks on the 16th of January in their first playoff game?  The short answer is yes.  The Bears are a different team and so is Seattle and as long as they keep the mistakes to a minimum, protect Cutler and get a rush going on Seattle’s quarterback, they should be able to beat the Seahawks.

Advantage: Chicago

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