Chicago Notes

Update: Now that Kordell Stewart is benched, I mean "out" due to injury (wink), Chris Chandler has been named the starter this week. Anthony Thomas is doubtful to play and Adrian Peterson has been named the starting runningback this week though he may get some help from Rabih Abdullah.

Marty Booker has missed practice time with a sprained ankle, and there is a good chance that he may not play. If he does not, David Terrell will likely take over the flanker spot and there is some speculation that Ahmad Meritt may see an increased role as well. The Bears offense is in a rather big transition suddenly, which probably could not hurt. Booker may be named as a starter or out on Friday or Saturday, or the team may wait until gametime to decide.

Quarterbacks: After commandeering the Bears for their first win over the Raiders, Kordell Stewart quickly spent whatever good will he might had accrued last week when he faced the normally porous Saint defense and ended with only 10 of 21 completions, 152 yards with one score, an interception and two lost fumbles. HC Dick Jauron has been adamant that Stewart is the starting quarterback but this week has merely been saying that he is "evaluating the situation".

Running backs: Anthony Thomas ran 21 times for 96 yards against the Saints, only a bit less than the 123 yards on 22 carries against the Raiders the previous week. He now receives all the carries other than a couple for Stanley Pritchett a game.

Wide Receivers: Just when it appeared that Marty Booker was again a factor, he caught one pass last week for eleven yards and left the game with a sprained ankle. He should play this week. Dez White picked up the slack with five catches for 91 yards and a score while David Terrell had only one catch, even though he was needed badly to step up last week.

Tight Ends: Desmond Clark continues to get as many passes as any other receiver, but since it is Kordell throwing them, he usually only manages to reach two a game now. Last week one of those catches was an amazing one hand effort.

Match against the defense: The Seattle defense has been about average overall this season, but the Bears bring in an offense that can only dream of being average.

It is a safe bet that Anthony Thomas will find some success against a unit that has allowed over 100 yards rushing the past two weeks but the failings at the quarterback position will ripple down to all players in the passing game. More than any single characteristic, the Seahawks at home will enjoy the probable turnovers that are spawned by Bears which will have a bad effect on field position the entire game.

There is a chance that the Bears could pick up some trash time passing yardage, but it is not as good as the chance that Kordell loses the ball anyway. CB Shawn Springs may return to the starting lineup.

Seattle Notes

Quarterbacks: The first half was a charm last week for Matt Hasselbeck and the rest of the team, but they came out flat in the second half and almost gave the game away. He ended with 207 yards passing and one touchdown and had a 17 yard scramble late in the game to keep a scoring drive alive. Seattle looked like they were heading to a romp but allowed the 49ers to reel off 19 points to make it a tight game.

Running backs: Shaun Alexander only netted 77 yards on 22 carries last week but the 49ers rush defense is pretty sound. Mack Strong shocked the defense by ripping off a 21 yard touchdown run but he rarely carries the ball and banged up his knee some in the game. He is expected to play this Sunday.

Wide Receivers: While the Seahawks started out hot, their second half struggles led Koren Robinson to only gaining 32 yards on three catches and Darrell Jackson had 55 yards on five receptions as Hasselbeck struggled to escape the pass rush.

Tight Ends: Ituli Mili had one catch for a touchdown, a 15 yard bullet between defenders. Jerramy Stevens had his traditional one pass and since he caught the one the previous week, he dropped the one last week.

Match against the defense: The Bears have been soft in almost all phases of the defense other than covering the wideouts. With Chicago a big green light for running backs, Alexander should gain his third 100 yard game this season.

The Bears have allowed multiple touchdown passes in every game this season except against Oakland ('gasp') and Seattle needs to get the passing game oiled up and running smoothly. The oddity is that almost all the touchdowns have gone to either backs or tight ends. Other than Terrell Owens 112 yard game in week one (and he did not score), the best wideout game was last week of 55 yards for Jerome Pathon. This is what happens when there are cornerbacks and nothing else. The yardage gains for the wideouts are likely to not be high though either could catch a score and really need to soon in order to maintain confidence.

Game Prediction: Let's see, Bears on the road against a 4-1 team. I like the Seahawks in this matchup and do not be surprised if Rex Grossman or Chris Chandler does end up with a few snaps. After last week, Seattle will be playing all four quarters.

* Fantasy point rankings calculated using standard Huddle fantasy points