Bears-Seahawks Preview

Here's my preview of tonight's big NFC showdown between the Bears and the Seahawks at Soldier Field.

Who Has The Edge?

Offense
After offensive coordinator Ron Turner went a little overboard with the passing game last week against Minnesota, the Bears will likely do their best to establish the run against Seattle. Thomas Jones needs to start finding the holes more often or Cedric Benson may start to get more carries. It won't be easy though; the Seahawks are second in the NFL in run defense, allowing just under 59 yards per game on the ground. Rex Grossman has been everything a Bears fan could want (and more), but he must do his best to not turn the ball over, or Seattle's offense may make him pay. If TE Desmond Clark doesn't play, Grossman will have to mainly rely on WRs Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, and Rashied Davis. Seattle will likely try to spread the Bears' defense out by using 4-WR sets, then either throwing out of them or running draw-type plays to backup RB Maurice Morris. Even without star RB Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks' WR corps makes this a dynamic offense that can score at any time. Edge: Slight edge to Seattle.

Defense
The Bears have arguably the best defense in the NFL, but they'll be facing their stiffest challenge yet in the Seahawks. With the Seahawks deploying so many quality WRs, the Bears must get a good pass rush on QB Matt Hasselbeck, or it could be a long night for the Monsters of the Midway. If there's a current version of the No Name Defense, it could be Seattle. There aren't exactly any household names on this unit, but they do a pretty good job of stopping opposing offenses. Second-year middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu is one of the more recognizable names on this defense. Edge: Chicago

Special Teams
For the Bears, Rashied Davis has done a good job returning kickoffs, and punt returner Devin Hester still makes the occasional rookie mistake but is a threat to take it to the house on any return. Kicker Robbie Gould has been excellent this season, showing great accuracy and improving range. For the Seahawks, Willie Ponder and Jimmy Williams have both done a good job of returning kickoffs and punts, respectively. However, kicker Josh Brown has been a little shaky this season, already having missed three FG attempts. Edge: Chicago

Coaching
Lovie Smith and his staff have done a great job so far, but Smith still makes questionable challenge calls at times, and offensive coordinator Turner needs to get back to the running game. Seattle's Mike Holmgren has been near-perfect against the Bears, but that was at a different time with a different team. He is still a solid veteran coach, though. Edge: Even

Intangibles
The game will be played on national television in front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd. The Bears will also look at this game as a chance to finally get the respect that they deserve from the national media, giving the Bears the advantage here. Edge: Chicago

Prediction
Bears 23, Seahawks 16