You don't generally see a 0-2 team go into a game as an 10-point favorite, but there aren't a lot of 0-2 teams like the Seattle Seahawks. They are the two-time defending NFC champions, just got Kam Chancellor back and are playing in front of one of the best home crowds in the league.
Bears vs. Seahawks 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Seattle is looking to take out early-season frustrations on the shorthanded Bears.
So there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Seahawks will improve this weekend. There aren't quite as many reasons to be optimistic about the Chicago Bears. They are also 0-2, but don't have Seattle's pedigree, star power and certainly won't get any help from CenturyLink Field.
The Bears are also going into the game with Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, replacing Jay Cutler (hamstring). Chicago fans might be happy to see Cutler out of the lineup, but Clausen might not be the replacement they had in mind. He's 1-10 as an NFL starter, most of which came in his rookie season when he was thrown into the Carolina Panthers' lineup long before he was ready. He threw three touchdown passes in 299 attempts, was intercepted nine times and sacked 33 times.
He then went three years without throwing a pass, before seeing minimal duty in relief of Cutler last year. He was forced into the starting lineup in December against the Detroit Lions -- one of the toughest defenses in the league -- and wasn't terrible, going 23-of-39 for 181 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. He was given a conservative playbook, and did a nice job handling the short-passing game.
That will almost certainly be the plan again Sunday, but Chicago's hapless defense might force Clausen to do more than he wants. The Bears lost, 48-23, last weekend to the Arizona Cardinals, and if they can't stop Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, Clausen will have to attack Chancellor, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. That doesn't promise to end well, especially with the Seattle crowd at full roar.
Chicago’s defense is still looking for its first sack, and if the Bears want to have any chance at a win, it will have to take a major step forward. Lynch has failed to put up a big game yet, but if he gets going -- the Bears are ranked 22nd in run defense -- and Chicago can’t put any pressure on Wilson, this going to turn into the blowout that everyone expects.
The biggest problem for the Bears is they will be facing a desperate Seattle team. Losing at St. Louis and at Green Bay aren't terrible losses, unless you think you can win the Super Bowl, at which point any loss is a bad one. Losing both, especially the one in Green Bay that could have a huge part in deciding home-field advantage, is crushing.
If there’s one concern for Seattle, it’s the health of Lynch. He picked up a calf injury in Week 2 and will be a game-time decision. If Lynch can’t go, look for Fred Jackson to get the start. Jackson probably won’t be as fearsome as Lynch, but he remains a trusty veteran presence.
So the Seahawks know they can’t slip up Sunday against the Bears, nor next Monday night at home against the struggling Lions. If they do their jobs, they will be at 2-2 with 12 games left and have the season back on track.
Unfortunately for the Bears, that will probably mean a long, loud Sunday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.
How to watch
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
TV:: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: NFL Game Pass
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