Bears Blitz

Published by Brandon Becker on January 16, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears just finished off the Seattle Seahawks and now will move onto the NFC championship where they will meet division-rival Green Bay.

Jay Cutler didn’t fold under the pressure of his first playoff game. In fact, he did a very nice job throughout the afternoon, save a few throws that were almost intercepted.

On the other side of things, the Seahawks lacked the execution that they showed against New Orleans.

The Seahawks dropped passes like it was their job and frequently made defensive mistakes that left Bears receivers wide open. It was a rough game for Pete Carroll’s squad and for Carroll himself.

Let’s take a look at five things we learned from this afternoon’s game.

No. 1: Chicago relies on running the football more than Cutler

Mike Martz has ditched his roots of being a pass-happy offensive coordinator.

Instead, he’s putting much more emphasis on running the football. Matt Forte carried the ball 25 times for just 80 yards, but he was still effective. Overall, the Bears called 36 runs for their running backs and they totaled 124 rushing yards.

It wasn’t pretty, but it’s exactly what Chicago needs to continue to do.

Cutler can’t be trusted to throw the ball 35-40 times a game without making some poor decisions. By keeping the defense honest with the passing game, the Bears passing attack is going to thrive as it did today.

Not trying to dismiss Cutler’s performance today, but the Bears won because of their willingness to commit to the run.

No. 2: Carroll didn’t play with a “win-or-go-home mentality”

Early in the game, trailing by seven, Carroll decided to punt on a 4th-and-1 on the outskirts of field goal range.

It was a poor move by the Seahawks coach not to take the initiative and try to win the ball game by playing aggressive football.

Against the Saints, the Seahawks left everything on the field and ended up winners. The same cannot be said for today’s game. There wasn’t the same energy that Seattle showed last week, which isn’t all that surprising, considering they weren’t in the confines of Qwest Field.

Even late in the game, Carroll was overly conservative. Down 28-0, he opted to kick a field goal with roughly 17 minutes remaining in the game. What good does a field goal do when you’re down four touchdowns?

It was a mildly successful season for Seattle this year, but Carroll’s going to have to learn from his mistakes in this one for the Seahawks to improve.

No. 3: Seattle was who we thought they were

At the end of the day, the Seahawks were a 7-9 team who pulled off an incredible upset in the first round, but weren’t that good of a team.

Here’s an incredible stat: every game the ‘Hawks lost this season was by double-digits.

So going into the game, you knew that if the Seahawks didn’t get off to a fast start, it was going to be a blowout.

And a blowout it was.

Seattle scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns with the game already well over. The scoreboard may read an 11-point win for the Bears, but it felt more like a 20-point win.

No. 4: The Bears will go as far as their defense takes them

Outside of the three late touchdowns the Seahawks scored, it was a great day for the Bears defense. Seattle’s receivers were smothered throughout the afternoon and the running game was a non-factor. 

Julius Peppers didn’t record any sacks, but he was disruptive force all day long; it was an impressive display from Peppers, and the Bears will need him to bring the same intensity next week against the Packers.

The Bears offense hung 35 points against the Seahawks, but that won’t happen next week when Clay Matthews and Co. come to town. It will be up to Chicago’s defense to stifle Green Bay’s offense in order to advance to the Super Bowl. 

Whether or not they can is a discussion for later on in the week.

No. 5: Greg Olsen needs to be a key factor going forward

Cutler’s favorite target, Olsen, had a breakout game against Seattle. Olsen finished with three grabs for 113 yards and a touchdown. It was his biggest game of the season in what has been a disappointing season for him.

He finished with just 41 receptions for 404 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season.

The Bears are going to need him to produce results similar today’s when the Packers come to town. Olsen is an extremely talented tight end and is the most reliable pass-catcher the Bears have.

Getting him the ball early and often will be important next week.

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