The Bears (0-2) hit the road for the first time all season, as the team heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks (0-2). Here's a breakdown of Chicago's Week 3 opponent:
What's new: The usual imposing Seattle secondary hasn't shut down opponents in 2015 the way it did in the past. While it has only been two games, the stats show the Seattle pass defense isn't what it used to be. Opposing quarterbacks have an average rating of 116.4 against Seattle this year, completing nearly 72 percent of passes. The Seahawks also have no interceptions on the year, after having 13 last season and a staggering 28 in 2013. Part of the reason for the decline in production from the Seattle secondary has been strong quarterback play from their opponents, but another factor was the absence of strong safety Kam Chancellor, who reportedly could make his season debut against the Bears after ending a two-game holdout. Chancellor is three-time Pro Bowler for a reason, and is one of the best in the NFL at his position. Not having him back there has hurt the Seattle secondary.
What's old: Few runners in the NFL are harder to tackle than Seattle's Marshawn Lynch. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Lynch is a bowling ball in the open field, using his power to run over defenders and his surprising speed to run by them. The Seahawks led the NFL in rushing yards per play and per game last season, and while they aren't at the top of those rankings after two weeks this year, their ground attack is still formidable. Seattle averages 121.5 yards per game rushing this season, with most of that coming from Lynch.
Last time out: Facing the Packers in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game, Seattle held a second-half lead at Lambeau Field last Sunday night. Yet as they tend to do, the Packers stormed back, scoring the game's final 14 points in a 27-17 Green Bay win. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 78 yards. But Wilson had a costly fourth-quarter interception that stopped Seattle's comeback attempt.
Series history: Sunday's game will be the 17th all-time meeting between the two teams, including playoffs, with the Seahawks holding a 10-6 all-time lead in the series that dates back to 1976. The Seahawks have won the last three regular season meetings, though those were all in Chicago. When the teams last met in Seattle, on September 27, 2009 – exactly six years to the day before this year's game - the Bears won 25-19 behind 247 passing yards and three touchdowns from Jay Cutler.
Injury report: Seattle is a relatively healthy team heading into this week's game. The only injury of note suffered in the loss to Green Bay was reserve free safety Steven Terrell, who hurt a hip flexor. His status for this week is unknown, though his absence could impact an already thin Seattle secondary.
Schemes and tendencies: Seahawks left defensive end Michael Bennett has a strong connection to the Bears, as he is the older brother of Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett. Michael Bennett is also one of the league's best defenders, and is a force to defend both in the run game and when dropping back to pass. In just two games, the defensive end has five tackles for loss, using his combination of strength, speed and intelligence to knife through offensive lines. On a defense full of playmakers at all three levels, Bennett is the Seahawks defender many opposing coaches focus on first and foremost in their game plans to try and stop, because of the havoc he can create in the backfield.
Did you know: CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seahawks, has the reputation as being the loudest stadium in the NFL. While that statement is up for debate, the facts are that opponents do have trouble hearing the snap count when playing in Seattle. Since 2005, in 80 home games, opposing teams have been whistled for 137 false start penalties, the most in the NFL during that time span.
