CHICAGO – The lights will be on, the nation will be watching and conference supremacy will be on the line.
It may be eight months later than expected, but the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears will finally go to battle tonight.
When the 2005 playoffs began, these were the two teams with the best records in the NFC. Many people expected them to square off in the NFC Championship game, where onlookers were eager to see how the conference’s No. 1 offense matched up with its No. 1 defense.
But the Bears lost to the Carolina Panthers a week before that dream matchup, and fans had to wait until today to see how Seattle’s offense and Chicago’s defense would stack up against one another.
As of tonight, that moment has arrived.
“They show on the film why they’re one of the top defenses, if not No. 1,” Seahawks tight end Itula Mili said. “At the same time, I think it’s going to be a great matchup because I feel like we have a great offense too.”
During the week leading up to tonight’s nationally-televised game, both teams were fawning over each other in lieu of giving away any bulletin-board material.
“It’s a big test,” Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram said of the Bears’ defense. “They like to be physical and create turnovers. We just need to match that intensity, move the ball, and play good, sound football.”
Bears coach Lovie Smith was just as complimentary, telling Chicago reporters: “For us to take another step, we have to be able to beat the best.”
Of course, the Seahawks are coming to this party without a full bottle of tequila. Running back Shaun Alexander, the league MVP last year, won’t be in uniform for tonight’s game because of a broken bone in his left foot. That leaves Maurice Morris as the starter, and could force the Seahawks to use more multiple-receiver sets.
“We have no idea what they’re going to do,” Smith said in a conference call with the Seattle media last week. “Would you tell me what they’re going to do? It would help us an awful lot.
“Either way, they have an excellent fullback still in Mack Strong blocking for Maurice, they still have a good running game and they can still end up doing exactly what they did with Shaun. We’re just going to try to prepare for everything.”
Alexander’s absence isn’t the only change in Seattle’s offense from 2005. Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson and wide receiver Joe Jurevicius left in free agency, and starting tight end Jerramy Stevens has missed the first three games of this season with a knee injury.
The team added a couple weapons to its passing game in free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson and recent acquisition Deion Branch.
Chicago, meanwhile, has most of the same defensive parts as it had last season. Ten of the 11 starters from the 2005 opener are expected to start today’s game. The only missing player will be safety Mike Green, who was traded to the Seahawks in April and has since landed on injured reserve.
The Bears are experienced and play well together.
“They’re good all the way around,” Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said of Chicago’s defense. “We were talking (last week), and someone asked me what their weakness is. I’m not sure that they have one.
“They have Pro Bowl players up front. They’ve got Pro Bowl linebackers. They’ve got Pro Bowl secondary guys. … They’re really solid on defense.”
Chicago’s defensive intensity starts with Smith, who used to be the St. Louis Rams’ defensive coordinator. Smith is only in his third year as head coach of the Bears, yet he’s already got one of the most-feared defenses in the league.
Using a Cover-2 scheme that’s similar to what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run, Smith has built a defense that looks like it’s in for the long haul.
“They’re young. They’re growing,” Smith said last week. “We have a long ways to go, but it is going to be fun watching them.”
Seattle’s offense is also still coming together, despite a core that has been together for five years. The offense has averaged 312.7 yards and 24.0 points per game, which is down 77 yards and 4.3 points from last year’s averages. The running game has been particularly hampered, due in part to Alexander’s injury.
The 2006 Seahawks offense could answer some questions tonight.
Likewise, the 2006 Bears defense hopes to reassert itself against a top-flight offense.
And both teams are out to prove themselves as the NFC’s elite team. As two of the three remaining unbeatens in the conference, the Seahawks and Bears could be battling for the inside track on homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
“This is a huge game for us,” Hasselbeck said. “There is no question the Bears are one of the best teams in the NFL, and definitely one of the best teams in the NFC.
“At the same time, it’s also just the fourth week of the season. This game isn’t going to make or break either team’s season, but it would definitely be a big game if we could win it.”
To win it, the Seahawks’ high-powered offense will have to find a way to solve one of the league’s best defenses.
“I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” Strong said. “But football is not an easy game. We’re going to do what we do, we’ll slug it out, and we’ll see who’s left standing.”
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