Seattle Seahawks: 10 Reasons Seattle Will Baffle the Bears
The Seattle Seahawks will have another chance to shock the world when they play the Bears in Chicago on Sunday afternoon. Even after their impressive, unbelievable performance against New Orleans last week, the Seahawks are still getting no respect. They are double-digit underdogs this weekend, just like last weekend.
But when you really look at this game from top-to-bottom would a Seattle victory really surprise you? It's not like the Bears are the most dominant team in the world. In fact, aside from Seattle, they are probably the weakest playoff team left.
The point being that neither team has a definitive advantage over the other. Seattle could go into Chicago and win, just as easily as they could go in and get blown out by four touchdowns. The beauty is, until the game is played, we have no idea what's going to happen.
The Seahawks will be riding an emotional high from knocking off the defending Super Bowl Champions last week. Can they bring that momentum with them into Chicago?
Here are 10 reasons the Seahawks can go into Chicago and defeat the Bears.
Would You Trust Jay Cutler in a Big Game?
1 of 10
There are a lot of good things Jay Cutler brings to the table. He has a strong arm and is a fierce competitor. He has brought some semblance of stability to the volatile Bears quarterback situation.
That said, he can implode on any given play. He throws off his back foot way too much. He makes at least two throws every game that leaves you shaking your head.
In the 10 games the Bears won with Cutler at quarterback this year, he threw 22 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. In the five losses, he threw for one touchdown and nine interceptions.
Which Cutler is going to show up?
The Bears Offensive Line Is Awful
2 of 10
Jay Cutler has taken a beating this year because the Bears have had major problems in pass protection and run blocking. As a unit, the Bears allowed 56 sacks. They give up over three sacks per game.
If the line can’t keep Cutler upright or open holes for Matt Forte, that offense doesn’t have a chance to do anything.
Seattle’s Underrated Pass Rush
3 of 10
Seattle’s defense really didn’t do a lot of things well this year. One thing they were good at was sacking the quarterback. They finished the regular season with 37 sacks, including a game against the Bears in which they got six sacks.
If the Bears can’t contain the Seahawks pass rush, Cutler will be looking up to the sky a lot on Sunday afternoon.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The Bald-Headed Wonder
4 of 10
Matt Hasselbeck has gone through a lot of hard times the last few years. He was able to play in 14 games this year, but he wasn’t impressive. He threw 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. His completion percentage was just under 60 percent.
But then he comes out and has a game like he did last week. He threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns. He looked like the guy that led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005. Maybe, there is a little more left in the tank for Hasselbeck than we thought.
It’s Not Like the Bears Offense Is Lighting the World on Fire
5 of 10
For all the talk going into the playoffs about how bad Seattle’s offense is, the Bears were statistically worse this year.
Seattle ranked 28th in the NFL in total offense, the Bears ranked 30th. The Bears ranked in the bottom 10 in the league in passing offense and rushing offense.
It’s not like the Bears are going to blow Seattle out of the water because they have so many playmakers on their offense. The game should stay close throughout.
The Bears Secondary Is Shaky
6 of 10
The reason Seattle was able to have success against New Orleans last week is because they overwhelmed the secondary. They lined up in four and five receiver sets and the Saints had no answer.
The Bears secondary is their biggest defensive weakness; they ranked 20th against the pass this season. If the Seahawks come out in similar receiver sets on Sunday, who’s to say the Bears will have an answer for it.
The Momentum Factor
7 of 10
Seattle has all the momentum going in their favor. They won their last game of the season against St. Louis to clinch the NFC West championship. They had that great game against New Orleans last week.
Meanwhile, the Bears lost their last game of the season against Green Bay. You can say they didn’t have anything to play for. While that’s true, they played their starters throughout the game, and they didn’t look impressive. That could have been a product of Green Bay’s defense or maybe something else.
Earl Thomas Is A Star in the Making
8 of 10
If you watched the Seahawks-Saints game last week, you were probably introduced to safety Earl Thomas. He had a big game and has really started to come into his own. When he was drafted last April, people were saying he was probably the most talented player coming out of college.
Thomas will spy on Jay Cutler all game long, and when he tries to throw deep off of his back foot, Thomas will be there to snatch the ball out of the air.
The “X” Factor
9 of 10
Brandon Stokley didn’t put up huge numbers against the Saints (four catches, 73 yards and one touchdown), but he made plays when they had to be made. He was a huge factor for the Seahawks coming out of the slot.
Expect Matt Hasselbeck to look in his direction a lot on Sunday. Stokley is one of those guys who doesn’t put up huge numbers, but when you need someone to make a play, he is always reliable.
Seattle Has Already Beaten Chicago, in Chicago, This Year
10 of 10
What better argument can be made for Seattle winning this game?
In Week 6, Seattle went into Chicago and got a 23-20 victory. In that game, the defense sacked Jay Cutler six times. They held the Bears to only 61 yards rushing.
The offensive line was able to create holes for their backs to run through (they ran for 111 yards in the game). If you need proof that Seattle can win in Chicago, this is the best possible evidence there is.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")