Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 14, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears, winners of the NFC North, will take on the Seattle Seahawks, the winner of the NFC West this Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.  The Bears come into this game with a record of 11-5 and are well rested after having a bye prior to this game, while the Seahawks come in with an 8-9 record and defeated the former Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, 41-36.  

No one expected the Seahawks to beat the Saints and wind up playing the Bears this Sunday, but they have been the surprise team of the playoffs so far and come in with some momentum.  As mentioned, the Bears have had a week off and are rested up and ready to go for this game.  They have to be wary, however, of getting caught in a trap and not taking the Seahawks for granted.

In the first meeting between these two teams, a 23-20 Seattle victory, the Seahawks played Chicago tough on both sides of the ball and beat them in almost every aspect of the game except special teams.  That Bears team was not functioning as well as they are now and so Seattle will be coming into this game playing a different team, different than the one they played against in Week 6.

So which team will win this game?  Can the Bears win at home and move on to the NFC Championship game?  Will they be able to erase the mistakes that they made in the first game and win this game?

Let’s find out in this extended preview of the Chicago Bears versus the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at Soldier Field.

 

When the Bears have the Ball

In their first meeting, the Seahawks did quite a number on the Bears offense with six sacks and stopping the running game (although the Bears really didn’t run the ball that much in that game).  The Bears hadn’t found that offensive balance in that game and weren’t able to keep Seattle from winning.

Fast forward to today, and the Bears are a much more balanced team on offense.  Looking at their passing attack first, the Bears are averaging 188 yards per game, while the Seahawks pass defense is allowing an average of 249 yards per game so the Bears should be able to pass on this team in this game.  The Saints were able to pass all over the Seahawks, so Chicago should be able to do the same.

That, of course, is if they can pass the ball.  Seattle’s six sacks kept Chicago’s offense out of rhythm when these teams met and their offense wasn’t able to do anything.  The key to Seattle’s success in rushing quarterback Jay Cutler was the rush that they got from the secondary.  Three of those six sacks came from the secondary, so Chicago’s offensive front will have to pay particular attention to those guys rushing off of the edge.

Other teams have had success doing the same things, so Chicago needs to do something to help keep this from happening.  They could use a two tight end set to help seal off the edges of the line and help give the offensive tackles (Frank Omiyale and J’Marcus Webb) some help.  It would be wise for them to active a guy like Desmond Clark, who is an accomplished blocker and much faster on his feet than a guy like Brandon Manumaleuna.  Having Clark in there would definitely help.

The Bears offense has had 56 sacks this season, while Seattle’s defense has come up with 37 sacks during the regular season.  

With good pass protection, the Bear’s passing game will excel.  Look for offensive coordinator Mike Martz to mix things up a bit in this game to help keep the Bears passing game working well (including different drops and rollouts) and not allow his quarterback to get beat up or throw their passing game’s rhythm off.  The key to all of this is allowing Cutler time to throw the ball, allowing his receivers to finish their routes and get open and not throwing the passing game out of rhythm.

If the Bears can do those things, then they will have a lot of success passing the ball this weekend.

Chicago’s rushing attack has gotten on track since Week 6 and running back Matt Forte is averaging around 76 yards on the ground per game.  The ability to run the ball and the balance that it creates has helped the Bears win many games this year and can help them win this one.

Using the running game will be a big key in this game and using it at critical times will help them out greatly.  The Bears need to run the ball not only to control it and the clock, but also to help take some pressure off of the passing game.  If Chicago can go on long drives like they did during their five-game winning streak and keep the ball out of the hands of Seattle’s offense, then they will win this game.

Chicago averaged 101 yards per game rushing during the regular season, while the Seahawks allowed teams to gain an average of 118 yards per game on the ground.

If the Seahawks manage to stop the run to start, the Bears cannot give up on it.  They need to try it in situations where Seattle won’t be expecting it and try to have success there.

Ball control offense wins games, and if the Bears can avoid the shootout and keep control of the ball, they will win this game.

 

When the Seahawks have the Ball

If you watched Seattle’s game against the Saints last Saturday, you will have seen that they used a nice balance of running the ball, along with an accurate passing game to win.  Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, despite all of his trouble with injuries as of late, had a great outing and has his team going strong into this game on Sunday.

When these two teams met in Week 6, the Seahawks had a lot of success passing the ball because the Bears were unable to generate a pass rush on Hasselbeck.  He was allowed to complete passes all over the field and picked the Bears defense apart.

Rookie offensive tackle Russell Okung, starting his first regular season game (he had been injured prior to this game), kept defensive end Julius Peppers at bay and didn’t allow him to get a sack or really even get near Hasselbeck.  Peppers has to figure out how to beat the rookie in this game, and with help from some of his fellow offensive linemen, hopefully he will be able to have a solid game against Seattle.

The Seahawks are averaging 208 yards of passing per game this season, while the Bears defense is allowing 224 yards per game through the air.  The pass rush will be the key in this game as will the ability of the secondary to keep the play in front of them and not allow the wide receivers to get behind them and make big plays down the field.  They also need to make those short passes much more difficult to complete.

Chicago’s defense had a total of 34 sacks during the regular season while the Seahawks offense allowed 35 during the season.  

We all saw what Seattle’s rushing attack did to the Saints last week and Marshawn Lynch is having a big postseason so far.  The Seahawks had over 100 yards rushing in the Week 6 game and Chicago had difficulty stopping run (keep in mind that outside linebacker Lance Briggs was out for this game).

Seattle has averaged 89 yards per game on the ground, but had 151 yards in their game against New Orleans including the long run by Lynch.  The Bears have allowed just 90 yards on the ground during the regular season and have basically shut down their opponents rushing attack, making them one-dimensional.  Can they do it against Seattle?

Tackling will be at a premium in this game and the Bears must stop the ball carrier right away so that he doesn’t break into the secondary and cause problems there.  The Bears are very good at tackling (although they have had a few games where they have struggled at it for short periods of time), and as long as they tackle well, they should be able to take care of the running game.

Shutting that down and making the Seahawks one-dimensional will go a long way towards helping the Bears win this game.

 

Special Teams

Both of these teams have great special teams units, and if the game is close, it could come down to whichever team has the best special team’s units.  The Bears are well known for their return game, but have struggled with their coverage units as of late and cannot afford to have a letdown there.  Field position will be very important in this game and the team that has the best could win the game.

Once again, we have the every-game question as to whether or not the Jets will punt to Devin Hester.  They learned their lesson last time (punting to Hester) and may not make that same mistake again.

 

Injury Update

Both the Bears and the Seahawks have the following players listed on their injury report:

Chicago Bears

CB-Charles Tillman-Illness-Definite

Seattle Seahawks

LB-Lofa Tatupu-Concussion-Questionable

Tillman is ill and will play.  Tatupu still hasn’t had a concussion test, but their head coach, Pete Carroll, says that it’s looking good that he will play in Sunday’s game.

 

Analysis

The playoffs are all about momentum, and right now the Seahawks have momentum coming into this game.  They just beat the 2009 NFL Champions and played much better than anyone expected.  Can the Bears stop their run and come out on top?

Chicago will be playing at home, which will give them an advantage, and they are well rested, which should help them out a lot.  They have a lot of playoff experience on their coaching staff and these guys all know how to win in the NFL’s second season.  That experience, coupled with the playoff experience that some of the Bears still remaining from their last trip to the playoffs have will help those younger guys out.

Chicago was not running the ball effectively in that first game, and they are doing that now with some good success.  Having a balance on offense has been one of the reasons why they have been able to win those games in the second half of the season, and they need to find that balance.  Running the ball will help, as will passing the ball using a short, controlled passing game.

But the passing game won’t work if Cutler is finding himself under pressure or getting sacked.  The coaching staff will have to make pass protection a focus in this game and make sure that Cutler has the time that he needs to throw the ball and complete passes down the field.

The defense will have their work cut out for them as well.  Their most important area of concentration will be on rushing the passer and preventing Hasselbeck from being able to throw the ball down the field and make plays.  If Chicago can’t get pressure on him, he will pick the secondary apart, and Seattle may end up winning the game.

The secondary will have to be sure that they keep the play in front of them and not allow any of the Seahawk’s receivers or running backs get behind them and make big plays.  That means that they need to fly to ball, tackle well and take care of business.  They can do this and have done it with success in the past.  

As mentioned, special teams may end up being a factor in this game.  If the Seahawks do kick it to Hester, you can bet that he’s going to do whatever he can to get as many yards as he possibly can on the kick.  Chicago’s coverage units need to be sure to not allow Seattle’s return specialists to gain a lot of yards and set their offense up in good field position.  They need to keep them down on the other side of the field and keep field position in their favor.

The coaching staff has the experience to help the Bears win this game and get them on to the NFC Championship game.  They need to keep their players motivated, make the right decisions and focus on the game (and this game alone) in order to win.

 

Prediction

After seeing what Seattle was able to do against the Saints, it makes it tough to pick the Bears to be a big winner over them in this game.  Chicago should still win this game, but the margin of victory may not be as big as some predict.  As long as Chicago can rush the passer and protect their own, they should be all right, but if they allow Cutler to be hurried and give Hasselbeck time to throw the ball, they may lose this game.

Chicago 28 Seattle 17

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