For starters, Lance Briggs is in the lineup on Sunday. Its easily forgotten that Chicago’s other All Pro linebacker didn’t play in that first matchup, and its easy to see the difference he makes for this defense when he‘s on the field. Another difference about today’s game is that Chicago has seemingly cured what was ailing them in terms of protecting the quarterback. During a four game game stretch which included the game against Seattle Cutler was sacked 19 times and even missed a game with a concussion. Since that time, offensive line coach Mike Tice has solidified the pass protection and motivated the offensive line to keep their QB standing upright.
The running game will be the other key to remember in this matchup. In that loss earlier this season, Chicago ran the ball only 14 times (two on scrambles by Jay Cutler) for 61 yards. In their last nine games, the Bears have taken a much more balance approach on offense with 258 rushing attempts vs. 276 passes, and they’ve gained over 100 yards on the ground in eight of those final nine games after eclipsing the century mark only twice in the first seven games.
So here’s my prediction: Although Seattle may be riding a wave of momentum after last weekend’s emotional win against New Orleans, the Bears have two things working in their favor. Number one, the Bears have zero players listed on their injury report, which is virtually unheard of at this point in the season. Even though the Saints injuries should not have played an important role in that ridiculous loss last week, when you’re missing your top playmakers it’s a given that you’re going to struggle, no matter who you’re playing against. The other thing working in Chicago’s favor is their defense, which has reverted back to “Monsters of the Midway” form. The Bears have given up more than 20 points to an opponent only four times this season, and despite Matt Hasselbeck’s renaissance, the Seahawks are not going to hang 41 points on this defense at home.
Seattle gets no respect; from me or the Bears. Chicago covers the spread in a win by two scores.
The defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, went into the game against Seattle yesterday with it all laid out for them. Yes, they had struggled at times this season, fighting injuries to their key players and winning in spite of interceptions from their All-World quarterback Drew Brees. But this is exactly what the doctor ordered. A first round playoff matchup with a sub-.500 team that they had blown out only weeks earlier. “Breesus” and the Saints would have no trouble carving up a team that won only seven games this year and had literally gotten blown out in all nine of their losses, right? Wrong. New Orleans gave up 41 points to the Seahawks en route to suffering one of the most humiliating losses in franchise history. I’m sure every NFL analyst in the country could do nothing but shake their heads in disgust at the way Matt Hasselbeck, playing with one hand, threw four touchdowns against a defense that was finished the regular season ranked 4th in the league against the pass.
How the Saints can score 36 points and still lose a playoff game to a losing team is something that I will never understand. I’m not sure, maybe this falls on head coach Sean Payton for not having his team prepared to show up for a playoff game. Or maybe it was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who didn’t come up with a solid enough scheme, and a veteran QB like Hasselbeck just took advantage of the opportunity. Or maybe, just maybe the blame should fall on the players. They obviously took this game and this team lightly. They were slow to the ball, easily fooled and the tackling that was on display during Marshawn Lynch’s back-breaking TD run was enough to make every high school football coach in America puke.
Disappointing? Of course. Every loss is disappointing for a team, especially in the playoffs. But this was downright pathetic. Who Dat Nation, meet the Transformers generation. Hopefully next time around we all will have something worth watching.
Ok, the most intriguing thing about this matchup is….. absolutely nothing. Yes, the Seahawks won their division. Yes the Seahawks are a playoff team. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still a losing team. This team went 7-9 during the regular season and all of their losses came by at least fifteen points. That means that Seattle has gotten blown out more often than they’ve won.
To be fair, New Orleans is going to be shorthanded in the running game. Starting running back Pierre Thomas and backup Chris Ivory have been lost for the year, and Reggie Bush has never been the type of runner to be effective carrying the ball twenty five times in a game. However, Coach Sean Payton doesn’t have an awful lot of options, even after signing two running backs off the street this week. Look for Bush to get the bulk of the carries with Julius Jones spelling him in certain packages. If either of those guys get hurt….then Deshawn Wynn will get his chance I guess.
Matt Hasselbeck is 4-1 at home in the playoffs, and teams historically have trouble playing in Seattle. The weather can get really bad and Qwest field has caused 100 false start penalties over the past 5 seasons so the noise level is obviously ridiculous. Add a cross country flight to the equation and I can see why a trip to the great northwest can be pretty miserable.
So for my prediction - talent trumps jetlag, and sorry 12th man, but this matchup isn’t close enough for you to make a difference. Saints win in Seattle. By at least 15 points.
