SEATTLE — When Seattle Seahawks starting offensive guard Max Unger was told after Sunday’s 25-19 loss to Chicago that he was next in line to play left tackle for the Seahawks, the look on his face told the whole story.
On one hand, it was everything Unger could do not to bust out laughing. On the other, there was a tired resignation to the fact that Seattle’s offensive line has been jumbled by injuries.
“That would have been ugly,” Unger said. “No reps at tackle. I mean, I don’t know what would have happened. We would have figured something out.”
Unger, a rookie, played left tackle at Oregon for two years but has played only two games there in the last two years. He was drafted in the second round this season as a guard/center, and has started every game at right guard this season.
If everybody were healthy, the Seahawks would probably have Walter Jones and Rob Sims on the left side of the line, Chris Spencer at center, and Sean Locklear and either Unger or Ray Willis on the right side.
Spencer made his first start of the season Sunday, but Jones and Locklear didn’t suit up, and Sims left the game with an injured oblique muscle.
Brandon Frye made the first-start of his three-year career at left tackle and played through a groin injury, and Sims was his backup — until he got hurt. With Sims out, Mansfield Wrotto came in at left guard, and Steve Vallos became the only healthy lineman on the bench.
Had Frye’s groin injury worsened, Vallos would have come in at right guard, and Unger would have moved to left tackle.
“That’s probably what we would have done,” Seattle coach Jim Mora said. “Or we would have punted on first down.”
Running hard
Running back Julius Jones came within 2 yards of his second 100-yard rushing game this season.
Jones, who had 117 yards in the opener against St. Louis, needed 19 carries for his 98 yards against the Bears.
He also had three receptions, including a 39-yard touchdown that was mostly a run after catching a screen pass near the line of scrimmage. Jones made two tacklers miss and ran the rest of the way untouched for Seattle’s only TD of the game.
“We set it up really nice,” Jones said. “(The Bears) called a blitz, and that really opened it up with the blocking downfield. I was just trying to break tackles and get to the end zone.”
Back in action
Sunday’s game was the first this season for Seattle wide receiver Deion Branch, who missed the first two games with a hamstring injury.
“I felt good,” said Branch, who had three catches for 13 yards. “I wish I would’ve had more opportunities, but that’ll come with time.”
Branch, who took practice snaps last week as Seattle’s emergency quarterback if starter Seneca Wallace and backup Mike Teel were injured, also carried once on a reverse for an 8-yard loss. The call came on a third-and-1 play early in the fourth quarter.
“When you’re in a game like this and you’re kicking and you’re scratching and you’re down nine or 10 guys, sometimes you have to do some unconventional things,” Mora said. “We felt like that was going to be a great play for us, but it didn’t work. They had a good defense on, that’s all.”
Going green
The Seahawks wore their alternate home jerseys on Sunday and the bright green shirts were, well, really bright.
Given the disappointing loss, the jerseys were not a primary topic after the game. But one Seahawk, wide receiver Nate Burleson, said he liked the look.
“Seneca (Wallace) calls me Mr. Flamboyant all the time,” Burleson said. “I kind of like bright colors and things that stand out.”
Momentum switch
One of the game’s biggest plays was decided by an official in the press box. And it helped decide the outcome.
Late in the second quarter, the Bears completed a pass to Matt Forte to the Seattle 1-yard line, where he fumbled. The Seahawks recovered and had a chance to run out the clock before halftime.
Instead, the Bears challenged and the replay official overturned the call. Chicago scored its first touchdown two plays later.
“Whenever there’s a close call like that and it’s a critical situation and we’re not 100 percent sure it’s going against us, we’re going to challenge it,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “It’s as simple as that. And it was a big play for us.”
“Our guys in the (press) box were pretty adamant that it was inconclusive, but the officials thought differently,” Mora said. “And they probably had more views than our guys had, so it’s hard to dispute that. But it was costly.”
Rebound
After a poor showing in last week’s loss to San Francisco, Seattle rookie linebacker and first-round draft choice Aaron Curry turned in a solid performance on Sunday. Curry had seven tackles and forced a fumble that, had Seattle won, might have been viewed as the decisive play.
In the fourth quarter, with Chicago leading 17-16, Curry sacked Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler and knocked the ball out. Seattle recovered on the Chicago 39-yard line and eventually kicked a field goal to take the lead at 19-17.
“Everyone on the sideline was saying it was time for somebody to step up and make a play,” Curry said. The Seahawks called a blitz, “and I was able to get through and get the ball out.”
Out, in and out again
Seattle suffered an injury in the secondary when Ken Lucas injured his groin, left the game, returned briefly, but could not finish.
That brought backup Travis Fisher into the game, and it was Fisher who was beaten by Devin Hester on Chicago’s game-winning touchdown pass.
Raising the flag
Hoisting the Seahawks 12th Man flag before the game was Seattle-area mountaineering legend Jim Whittaker. He got the honor 46 years after he raised an American flag on the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the first American to reach the top of the world’s highest peak.
Whittaker attended West Seattle High School and Seattle University, and was later the CEO of REI, Inc.
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