The Seattle Seahawks host the Chicago Bears this Sunday in an afternoon game on CBS. These teams have not met since 2012, when the Seahawks beat the Bears 23-17 in Chicago. Indeed, the last four games of this series have been in Chicago, with Seattle nevertheless winning 3. The lone exception, of course, was a 2011 (2010 season) playoff victory over the 7-9 Seahawks, Jay Cutler’s sole playoff victory. Overall, Seattle leads the all-time series 10-4.
Reversing that trend will be difficult for Chicago. Both teams are 0-2 on the season, but Seattle has yet to host an opponent before its notorious crowd, the “12th man.” It is no secret that Seattle is a much better home team than road team.
Meanwhile, Chicago played the Green Bay Packers reasonably well in week 1, and for a while managed to keep pace with the Arizona Cardinals in week 2. However, Cutler was injured following an interception, and the Bears fell apart. They managed just 59 yards in their first 8 drives featuring Jimmy Clausen. Cutler will not start in Seattle, reportedly, meaning Clausen will have to manage the noise while also holding back a team hungry for its first win. That seems a highly unlikely outcome.
They key to the game for the Bears, then, must be Matt Forte. To have any chance he will need a monster game. Yours truly sees that as unlikely. My prediction: Seahawks 31, Bears 6.