Seahawks vs. Bears: Game Review
Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 17, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The second seeded Chicago Bears hosted the fourth seeded Seattle Seahawks who were coming off their surprising win against the New Orleans Saints the previous week this Sunday at Soldier Field. Many people thought that the Bears would win this game handily and in the end, they did 35-24. The game wasn’t as close as the score may indicate as, for three quarters, the Bears shut the Seahawks down en route to a victory and a berth in the NFC Championship Game.
The offense played nearly flawless game (save for that Matt Forte interception) and moved the ball up and down the field effectively. The defense really came through for the first three quarters and did a great job of curing the ills that plagued them in their first game against the Seahawks back in Week 6.
The Bears will now host the Green Bay Packers next week for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
The following is a full review of the Bears game against the Seahawks this Sunday as they advanced to the NFC title game.
Scoring Summary
The Bears drew first blood after tight end Greg Olsen caught a 58 yard pass from quarterback Jay Cutler to go up 7-0 early. Running back Chester Taylor would add seven more on a one yard run, still in the first quarter, to make it 14-0. Cutler would score six more points on a six yard run to put the Bears up 21-0 heading into halftime.
Chicago ended up getting the first score of the second half, making it 28-0 after Cutler ran it in from nine yards out for his second touchdown of the game. Seattle would start their scoring in the third quarter after kicker Olindo Mare kicked a 30 yarder to get his team on the board and make it 28-3.
The Seahawks would make it 28-10 after wide receiver Mike Williams caught a two yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Chicago would answer and get their final score of the game after Cutler hit tight end Kellen Davis for a 39 yard touchdown pass to put the Bears up 35-10.
Seattle would mount somewhat of a comeback and it would begin with William’s second touchdown catch of the day, this one a three yarder from Hasselbeck, to make it 35-17. Seattle would get one more score in the game when wide receiver Brandon Stokley hauled in a nine yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to make it 35-24.
That was the game’s final score.
Stud of the Game
Charles Tillman is one of most underrated cornerbacks in the NFL and this Sunday, he showed everyone why he deserves more credit than he gets. For three quarters, he helped the Bears shut down Seattle’s number one wide receiver. He really showed his stuff Sunday and hopefully he can do it against the Packers next week.
Dud of the Game
It’s difficult to find someone that didn’t do a good job in this game but the play that running back Matt Forte made out the wildcat formation (leading to an interception) did help lead directly to some points by the Seahawks. If the play isn’t there and no one is open the he needs to throw the ball away in that situation.
Analysis
The Bears went out and did that they had to do in order to beat the Seahawks and advance to the NFC Championship game. Everyone expected them to come out on top, but not too many people thought that they would beat them as soundly as they did on Sunday.
The Bears offense was nearly flawless in executing a game plan that seemed to work very well against the Seahawks defense. Cutler took advantage of the opportunities afforded to him, worked well within the game plan and helped lead his team to victory. Not a bad showing for his first playoff appearance in the NFL.
The Bears offense was on target in the passing game and did a bang-up job in the running game. Forte had a solid outing (despite the interception he threw) and Chester Taylor didn’t do a bad job in relief. The balance on offense was solid and just what the Bears needed in order to win.
Cutler had one of the best outings for a quarterback in Bear’s playoff history, throwing for two scores and running two in also, while keeping the Bears offense moving down the field and keeping Seattle’s offense on the sidelines.
The Bear’s defense did a pretty nice job of making things difficult for the Seahawks. They shut their running game down and covered their wide receivers so well that they managed to make it very difficult for Hasselbeck to complete passes. The Bears secondary blanketed Seattle’s receivers knocking passes away and making it difficult for them to adjust to make catches.
There was a little bit of a scare in the final quarter as the Bear’s defense allowed the Seahawks to get 24 points to mount a little bit of a comeback which may be cause for concern. They cannot let that happen next week when they face the Packers.
The Bear’s special teams coverage units did have a breakdown in this game, allowing a long return which helped set up a score but overall they were solid. Coverage ace Corey Graham downed two punts within the five yard line which helped set Seattle up with poor field position.
Head coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the Bear’s coaching staff had a great game plan coming into this game. The offensive game plan, featuring ball control and quick strikes was masterful and may have been the best it has been all season. The defensive game plan was a strong one as well. It needs to be something similar to what the Bears do against the Packers when they face each other next Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Next Up
The Bears will host division rival Green Bay at Soldier Field for a shot at representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Stay tuned for a full preview of this game coming up towards the end of the week.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
