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New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears
Soldier Field
Sunday, January 21, 2007
1:00 EST
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Game Preview
Despite a discouraging loss to the Green Bay Packers
in Week 17, coach Lovie Smith is convinced that the Bears are better
equipped to enter the playoffs than they were a year ago. In 2005, the
Bears earned a first-round bye after winning the NFC North title as
they've done again this season, but were eliminated by the Panthers in
a divisional playoff game at Soldier Field. "We need to play better,
and I think it's as simple as that," Smith said. "The second time
around, you're more familiar with everything. We didn't handle success
as well as we needed to the first time around. But we're a different
football team. We won 11 games last year; we won 13 this year. We're a
better football team and I think we'll see better results when we go
into our playoff game."
Christmas arrived a little late in Seattle, but the
Seahawks aren't complaining after a dramatic 21-20 victory against the
Cowboys in the wild-card round. The teams went back and forth during
the first three quarters. Then with the Seahawks down 20-13 midway
through the fourth quarter, the Cowboys fumbled and the Seahawks
notched a safety to get within 20-15. Shortly afterward, Jerramy
Stevens scored his second touchdown of the game to put Seattle in
front 21-20. The Cowboys got down to the 2-yard line with 1:19 to go,
but Tony Romo dropped the snap on a potential game-winning field-goal
attempt. "It was kind of a crazy game," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren
said. "Our defense -- I am so proud of those guys. Given who they had
to play against and given our state of affairs in the secondary, I
don't thing I can say enough about the heart and the courage they
showed in a game like this." Seattle, which held Dallas to 14 first
downs and 284 total net yards, will play next week in the NFC
Divisional Playoffs at the Chicago Bears.
The Bears are trying to repeat what the Seahawks did
last year, riding the NFC's No. 1 seed all they way to the Super Bowl.
But the uneven play of quarterback Rex Grossman and numerous injuries
on the NFL's fifth-ranked defense has caused concern in the Windy
City. The Seahawks edged Dallas at home in the wild-card round and are
looking to recapture their form from last year's postseason run after
an up-and-down season. One of Seattle's lowest points was a 37-6 loss
at the hands of the Bears in Week 4. "Obviously, that was probably the
worst we have played as a team this year -- and for sure me," Seahawks
quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said.
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