Huge win yields huge potential for underdog Seattle

It is clear as a brisk, cloudless day in Seattle that the players, fans and most importantly, the city needed that momentous lift.

Saturday's win was more than a spiritual lift, it was downright seismic. Marshawn Lynch's back-breaking touchdown run caused the 12th Man to rock so hard that Qwest Field shook it's foundation enough to make Richter scale react. The people of Seattle need a local sports team to be special and invoke such an emotional reaction because it makes living here so much nicer when morale is high.

Seattle's improbable season continues this week in Chicago against a team the Seahawks already beat. The Seahawks charge into this weekend with a chip the size of the doubting national media on their shoulders. Head coach Pete Carroll will milk that cow as long as the players will let him. Nothing drives a man, let alone a team, further than an us-against-the-world mentality.

Now Seattle is taking their show East where the weather is a factor to be reckoned with. Chicago cold is not Seattle cold. The game time temperature is supposed to be in the teens. What does that mean? Basically, that translates to hard-nosed football in which in the game is won with a strong running game and tough defense.

Those traits definitely coincide with Chicago Bears history but Seattle can play that game too. Last time they played, the Seahawks defense really showed up. They shutdown the Bears on third down 12 times! The Bears leading rusher had 31 yards. Quarterback Jay Cutler passed for 297 yards but failed to score.

Conversely, the Seahawks were productive passing and running. Marshawn Lynch debuted with the 44 yards and a touchdown. Justin Forsett added 67 yards and another TD. Matt Hasselbeck found his favorite target, Mike Williams, ten times for 123 yards recieving.

The real key to October's 23-20 road win was the play of Seattle's defensive and offensive lines. They were stellar. More specifically, rookie left tackle Russell Okung, held his own with the NFL's most feared pass rusher. The Bear's Julius Peppers is simply the man when it comes to sacking the quarterback. But he was completely disabled by Okung's blocking which in turn allowed Hasselbeck a couple extra seconds to find his recievers.

Cutler was sacked six times and had a quick trigger finger thanks to the Seahawks defensive line. The Bears' turnover prone quarterback was continually pressured and that must continue this weekend. Cutler will turn the ball over and sometimes in bunches. That is the type of intensity and aggression Seattle needs to bring in order to pull off the upset.

Give me a good game from the bruiser, Lynch, the go-to threat, Williams and the chain-mover Brandon Stokely and I really like the Seahawks chances.

With two weeks of rest, the Bears defense will surely be ready to hit hard and fast. Seattle's advatage lies in the mother of all intangibles, momemtum. Belief can't be measured, only displayed. Throw talent out the window because the team that wants this game more will win.