DIVISION ROUND RECAP: JUST BEARLY

This was supposed to be the one game this weekend that had an obvious winner. The Bears were too good on defense to allow the Seahawks to hang around. Chicago was going to move on, and it was going to be over at the half. Those were the predictions, and honestly, they looked correct early on. Rex Grossman looked sharp as he connected on deep passes to his teammate Bernard Berrian. The defense was as good as ever, shutting down the Seahawks in the early stages of the game. But even as the Bears took a lead at three different times during the first half, Seattle never folded. They were up to the test, and soon enough they were making the Bears defense look the Chicago Cubs playing football. A lot was made about Seattle's chances throughout the week, but when all was said and done, people seemed to forget which team was the defending NFC champions. So when Seattle kept battling back, why was everyone so surprised? The Bears had been a mediocre defense in the second half, and that is what they were on Sunday. The Seahawks were a team that had more playoff experience than any other NFC team. On some people's paper, this game was a blowout, but really everyone should have seen a classic game like this coming. Then there is Rex Grossman, who has received more scrutiny than George W. Bush in the last few weeks. The bottom line was that for all his triumphs and failures in the regular season, his year would be measured by what type of postseason success he had. So when Grossman went out there and gave his team every chance to win on Sunday, maybe we were seeing the same Rex Grossman that started this season. At the end of the day, the Bears won the game on a 49 yard FG by Robbie Gould, a kicker who had never attempted a game winning field goal in his career. In a game like that we saw two winners on the field. Both teams played with more desire and heart than they had showed all season. Unfortunately for Seattle, only the team that has more points on the scoreboard moves on.

The 2006 season was full of nothing but disappointment for Seattle and their fans. First, there was the move of not signing guard Steve Hutchinson. While it did not seem like a big deal at the time, not having him there clearly hurt the Seattle rushing attack. Then there was the injury bug. It's hard to repeat as NFC Champions when you lose Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, your entire receiving core, and your entire secondary to injury at different times during the season. With all of these injuries, it is even a bit of the surprise that Seattle was able to win the NFC West. Moving on towards next year, Seattle should have a much better season. It will be very unlikely that the injury bug will hit them as hard in 2007. The problem for Seattle is that every single team in their division is improving. In the coming seasons, they will have much more competition for the division title. What the Seahawks must address in the offseason is their rush defense. In their Super Bowl season, they had one of the best run stopping defense in football, but this season they were torched on the ground on many occasions. With Frank Gore and Steven Jackson in their division for at least the next five seasons, Seattle must play better against the run or else they could be at home in January. However, even though the NFC West is looking like a tougher division, it would be a shock if Seattle did not return to the postseason next year.

After surviving the Seahawks, Chicago will face an even tougher task next week when they take on America's darling, the New Orleans Saints. The Bears looked good on the offensive side of the ball against Seattle, and to advance to the Super Bowl, Rex Grossman must have another solid performance to go along with his potent running game. However, oddly enough, what will determine if the Bears make the Super Bowl will be their defense. This unit that was once the best in football has clearly missed Tommie Harris and Mike Brown. They need to be able to either take away the Saints' rushing or passing attack. If they can do neither, it will most likely be a long day for the Bears. Even though they do have the best record of any remaining playoff team, the Bears will need to play their best game all season to be able to book their trip to Miami.