NFL Playoff Predictions: Why the Seattle Seahawks Will Beat the Chicago Bears
In a way, it's fitting. In the same couple-week period as Aflockalypse, where the mass bird and fish deaths came seemingly out of nowhere, a different group of birds came out of nowhere to rise up, those being the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Saints in one of the biggest playoff upsets in history.
Now, the Seahawks are looking ahead to the Chicago Bears, and this time they won't have the 12th man to back them up. Can they somehow pull off a second upset against a much tougher defense in the Bears?
Sure they could, and here's why:
8. Marshawn Lynch
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Marshawn Lynch didn't have a particularly great year in Seattle, but had one of the most amazing playoff runs ever. This gives his confidence a huge boost, and by extension should make him a force to be reckoned with against the Bears.
7. Chris Clemons
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Who is Chris Clemons? Hopefully for the Seahawks, he will be Jay Cutler's nightmare.
Clemons had 11 sacks on the year, and was one of the best players on a Seahawks defense that wasn't all that good. If he can get to Cutler, then that helps the Seahawks big-time.
6. Matt Hasselbeck
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Yes, Matt Hasselbeck is old, not all that good anymore, washed up, etc. When there's a playoff game though, the gears turn in his head and he goes to work, playing far better than anyone would expect.
He did in the Saints game, and he could just as easily do so in the Bears game.
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5. Earl Thomas
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Jay Cutler has not been the most careful person with the ball, having thrown 16 interceptions and not having a great receiver to throw to. It doesn't help that he'll be matching up against Seahawks rookie Earl Thomas.
Thomas has five interceptions on the year, and is the playmaker of the Seahawks secondary. If anyone can catch a troublesome Cutler throw, it's him.
4. Momentum
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It's one thing to say that a 7-9 team won a playoff game. It's another to say that a 7-9 team just beat the defending Super Bowl champions in the playoffs, which is what just happened.
When you defeat a team like that, the confidence boost will ripple through the team. If they can beat the Saints, why can't they beat the Bears?
3. Chip on Shoulder
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Everyone has doubted the Seahawks all year and called them undeserving, and are unable to figure out how they got this far. Heck, I still don't buy that they're a good team.
The Seahawks are going to use this doubt and fuel off it. They know no one gives them a chance, and that will make them work that much harder to get the win.
2. They Already Beat the Bears
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The Bears and Seahawks have met once before, in a road game for Seattle. The outcome? A 23-20 victory for the Seahawks.
They already won one game against Chicago, so why can't they win a second? The two teams are not all that different since then.
Nothing to Lose
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The Seattle Seahawks are already a success story this season. They managed to make the playoffs despite a 7-9 record and Matt Hasselbeck going down at the end of the year, and are probably one of the biggest underdogs ever.
Heck, they make the 2007 Giants look like this year's Patriots.
They've proven to themselves and to their fans that they're a good team no matter what the stats say, and that won't change even if the Bears crush them. They got nothing to lose, so they'll put their best game forward and simply make it happen.
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