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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHICAGO (AP) -- Comebacks or blowouts, Green Bay Packers or
Seattle Seahawks, Mike Holmgren knows how to beat the Chicago
Bears.
Holmgren's domination of the Bears continued Sunday as the
Seahawks rallied for the 14-13 victory on two fourth-quarter
touchdowns. It was the 11th straight victory over the Bears for
Holmgren, who was 12-2 against Chicago with the Packers.
| | Bears running back Glyn Milburn struggles for yardage against Willie Williams and the Seahawk defense. |
"Stick to the plan Mike implements, because it's going to be
flawless," said former Packer Derrick Mayes, whose 34-yard
touchdown reception cut Chicago's lead to 13-7 with 13:04 left in
the game.
It almost wasn't enough, though. With the Seahawks (1-1)
clinging to a 14-13 lead, the Bears (1-1) marched to the Seattle 29
with 26 seconds left. But Ryan Wetnight was stuffed for a 1-yard
loss, and the Bears were forced to try a 48-yard field goal.
Rookie Brian Gowins, kicking because Jeff Jaeger has a nagging
hip injury, had the distance, but the kick sailed wide right.
"I've got the guillotine hanging over my neck, I'm well aware
of that," Gowins said. "I hit the ball well and nine times out of
10, that ball is going to go in. This time, it didn't."
It's almost unfair, this mastery Holmgren has over the Bears. Even
when his streak seems shaky -- the Seahawks managed just 27 yards of
total offense in 26 plays and were down 10-0 at halftime -- the
Bears aren't safe.
Sure enough, as the minutes ticked off, the Seahawks got better.
They gained 316 yards of total offense in the second half and held
the Bears to 160 yards. After Foley connected with Mayes, the
defense forced the Bears to punt. Then Fabien Bownes, released by
the Bears in the final preseason cut, burned his old team with the
game-winning 49-yard TD reception with 7:51 left.
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GAME NOTES |
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Chicago's six sacks were its most since 1993 when the Bears recorded seven against Philadelphia.
Glenn Foley's 49-yard TD pass to
Fabien Bownes was the longest of his career, topping a 35-yarder he threw
in 1997 against -- guess who? -- the Bears.
Chicago hasn't started a season 2-0 since 1991.
There were 10,489 no-shows for
the game.
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"This reminds me of the first time I was able to sit in this
locker room and say I beat the Bears," said a contented-looking
Holmgren.
Foley, playing because Jon Kitna's right big toe was still
bothering him, was 18-of-30 for 283 yards. Mayes caught seven
passes for 137 yards. Ricky Watters, who had just 21 yards rushing
last week, ran for 99 yards on 23 carries.
Seattle safety Merton Hanks, playing in his first game after
being cut by the San Francisco 49ers, sacked Shane Matthews for a
loss of 11 yards.
"It's really, really sorely needed," Watters said. "A lot of
teams find a way to lose. We found a way to win."
As for the Bears, they can blame their own mistakes for the
loss. Curtis Enis fumbled at the Seattle 2 on the first drive of
the game. Gowins missed a 50-yard field goal on the next drive.
Enis also dropped a pass on third down, forcing the Bears to
settle for a 43-yard field goal and the 13-0 lead at the end of the
third quarter. And on Seattle's second scoring drive, cornerback Walt Harris bit on Foley's pump fake, leaving Bownes with a clear run to the end zone.
"We have to learn to close people out," Curtis Conway said.
"We're beating ourselves. They didn't know what we were doing. We
just killed ourselves."
Enis matched his career high with 94 yards rushing, and Matthews
was 22-of-42 for 212 yards.
While Holmgren was happy with the victory, his first since
leaving the Packers to become the coach and general manager at
Seattle, he'll probably be less than pleased when he watches the
game film. The Seahawks gave up 70 yards on eight penalties, one of
his pet peeves.
Except for Watters, the offense was almost nonexistent in the
first half. Foley also was sacked five times in the first half -- by
a team that didn't even know what a pass rush was last season.
The Bears' first score came courtesy of Seahawks punter Jeff
Feagles, who lost control of the ball just as he was about to punt.
The Bears got the ball at the Seahawk 31, and five plays later,
Enis rushed two yards for the score to give the Bears a 7-0 lead
with 10:20 left in the half.
"The first half was ugly, it was really ugly," Holmgren said.
"But how we won the game after really not playing well in the
first half really makes this good for our team."
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
Week 2 wrap-ups
Week 2 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Patriotic display
Week 2 PrimeTime Players
Week 2 stats leaders
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