Seahawks vs. Bears: Strategies for Winning
Jan.. 8, 2007— -- A quick breakdown of the Seattle-Chicago divisional playoff game.
The Seahawks will win if…
1. Matt Hasselbeck gets hot. Since coming off the knee injury that sidelined him four games, Hasselbeck has yet to get on a roll. Against the Cowboys, he was 18-for-36 and had two more interceptions. That's 17 interceptions this season for a quarterback who normally takes care of the ball. Hasselbeck is a quarterback who thrives on rhythm and his rhythm has been off this season because of an ever-changing offensive line and an inconsistent running game. His best game is when he jumps to the line of scrimmage and calls audibles and adjustments with plenty of time left on the play-clock. Hasselbeck had one of his worst games in a 37-6 loss to the Bears in Week 4.
2. Shaun Alexander has a big day. Alexander has run hard the past three weeks. He missed the first Bears game because of a broken foot, and his replacement, Maurice Morris, rushed for only 35 yards. The inability to run that day forced more passes and the Seahawks couldn't get much done. In recent weeks, the Seahawks have found that they can win if Hasselbeck struggles as long as Alexander steps up. Though they will need to have both stars play well to beat the Bears, they need at least one of them to get hot.
3. Defensive coordinator John Marshall can keep patching his secondary with mirrors. Cornerback Marcus Trufant probably won't play because of a high-ankle sprain, so the Seahawks head to Chicago with a 178-pound rookie cornerback, Kelly Jennings, a bunch of safeties and a loan officer (Pete Hunter) who was signed last week while he was studying to be a border guard. The Seahawks secondary was pretty healthy in their 37-6 loss to the Bears earlier in the season and Rex Grossman burned them for a 100.5 quarterback rating and two touchdown passes. Marshall must find a way to cover for the coverage inadequacies of safety Michael Boulware, who has given up nine touchdown passes this season.
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