SEAHAWKS: Seahawks at Bears important match-ups

This Sunday the Seahawks are facing the Chicago Bears at Soldier field. The Bears have a tradition of being a hard-nosed, smack you in the mouth football team, and that's just what they are. They are ranked 6th in the league in defense, including 4th in rush defense. So how are the offensively challenged Seahawks going to beat the defensively stout Bears? Here are the vital match ups the Seahawks must win in order to defeat the 4-1 Bears.

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Seahawks Tackles vs. Julius Peppers: The only word to describe Peppers is he's a beast. He has the freedom of picking a side to rush to passer, depending on which side is easier to him. The Bears defense revolves around him, because if he pressures the QB, the Bears corners have more time. If he doesn't, Chicago will have to blitz because they really have no other pass rushing guys. If Russell Okung faces him and successfully blocks him, he will be making a statement to the league saying "I'll be here for the next 10 years kids."

Jay Cutler vs. Earl Thomas: As you might know, Jay Cutler is the king of interceptions (27 last year). And now that Mike "sling it and hope for the best" Martz is the offensive coordinator, Earl Thomas could have a big day. Earl covers a lot of ground very fast, which could be beneficial if Cutler puts a lot of air under the ball. The Bears don't have a stud receiver yet, so Thomas should be free to just roam the deep part of the field and wait for a pick. But if the Bears get the running game going, play action could kill the Seahawks with Cutler's arm strength.

Seahawks corners vs. Matt Forte: So far on the season, Forte has 300 rushing yards on 72 attempts. He also has 231 receiving yards from 18 receptions. Most of his catches are out in the flat with the goal to juke out the opposing corner, which he usually succeeds in doing. I'm not worried about Marcus Trufant, but more worried for Kelly Jennings. If Matt Forte gets hot and starts juking out Jennings and Trufant, then there is no limit to what kind of damage he can do.

Marshawn Lynch vs. Bears Linebackers: Two of the Bears linebackers (Brian Urlacher & Lance Briggs) are both Pro Bowlers and have anchored the Bears defense for years. Marshawn Lynch is a former Pro Bowler and as anchored the Seahawks for all of 0 games. This is probably the biggest matchup in the game because all three of these guys are physical, hard nosed players who like to hit people. If the Seahawks get the run going, they will be hard to stop. If they don't, they are in for a rough day.

Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com