The Bears came into Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks as the 4.5-point favorite. A few weeks ago that would have seemed an insult to Chicago but with injuries to Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler and running back, Matt Forte, as well as one-sided losses to the Chiefs and Broncos, the situation had changed dramatically. As it turned out, by making them favorites at all, the odds-makers were still overestimating the Bears.
On the other side of the field, Seattle came into Chicago on an upswing. They had won four of their last five games and running back, Marshawn Lynch, scored a touchdown in every one of their last nine games. Their winning ways would continue in Soldier Field.
The Bears offense got to work first on Sunday’s game, winning the coin toss and electing to receive, but they failed to score on their opening drive. After a short gain on a running play by Marion Barber, Caleb Hanie missed badly on his first two passing attempts and the Bears were forced to punt. This drive would be indicative of the offense performance the rest of the game.
Later in the first quarter the Seahawks would take the lead on a running touchdown by Marshawn Lynch.
The Bears got back into the game by scoring a defensive touchdown after a Tavaris Jackson fumble caused by Julius Peppers. Chicago went on to take the lead when Kahlil Bell made a touchdown catch (the Bears heavily featured Bell after Marion Barber’s gaffe-filled performance last week against the Broncos). The Bears took this 14-7 lead into halftime.
That lead, however, did not last long. The Seahawks scored on their initial drive, moving the ball eighty yards. The drive culminated with another Lynch touchdown. On the ensuing possession, Caleb Hanie was intercepted by 323-pound defensive end, Red Bryant, a play which Bryant called “a fat kid’s dream.”
For the Bears, however, the nightmare was just getting started. They were unable to score again, while Seattle went on to notch up 17 more points, six of which came from another interception that was returned for a touchdown. The Bears ended the half with 31 unanswered points, for a final score of Seattle 38, Chicago 14.
At the post-game press conference, quarterback, Caleb Hanie, was asked to describe what was going through his head while throwing the Pick 6’s that sealed the Bears loss. He quickly described the two plays and then joked “That’s it… seemed like more, huh?” It did indeed.
With Chicago’s loss on Sunday and Detroit’s win, it became almost impossible for the Bears to go into the playoffs. Lovie Smith was noncommittal when asked what quarterback he would start next Sunday against Green Bay. Considering the Bears’ play this Sunday, it’s difficult to imagine any of the active quarterbacks achieving success.
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Casey Brazeal is a reporter for Extra where he writes travel and local news stories. Look for more Bears coverage in Friday’s print issue and read all of Casey’s work at NorthandClark.net.
