Bears To Face Seahawks

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 9, 2007 2:00PM

While the Bears have known for weeks now that they'd be hosting their first playoff game, they finally know their opponent. The Bears will host the Seattle Seahawks at noon on Sunday following Seattle's miracle win over the Dallas Cowboys.

When the Bears and Seahawks faced off in Week 4, Chicagoist was jumping off our couch in excitement as the Bears trounced the 'Hawks 37-6. But does that October win give any indication of how Sunday's game will shake out?

Probably not. A lot has changed for both teams since early October. For one, Seattle played without Shawn Alexander last time. Back then, the Bears defense still had Mike Brown and Tommie Harris in the lineup. However, this time around the Seahawks will likely be without their leading wide receiver, Darrell Jackson, due to a turf toe injury. D.J. Hackett, their third leading receiver, is even less likely to play, due to a sprained ankle. Their secondary is even worse off. With Seattle having lost three of their top four cornerbacks, they're playing guys signed only last week. One of whom was working as a loan officer until Holmgren called him up.

Does that mean that Rex Grossman stands a chance of having a decent game? After all, the way Rex plays will likely be the best indicator of who will win. In October's meeting, Rex completed 17 of 31 passes for 232 yards and two TDs — good for a 100.5 QB rating. That was one of his good games. But his many horrible games have also been well documented. We can only hope his rating will be closer to triple digits than negative numbers. If Rex has a decent game, the Bears will win. If he doesn't, the Bears may experience the same fate as last year. And expect Rex to blame his poor play on his anticipation of the Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday holiday.