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Bears Defense Looking Like Monsters Of The Midway

(WSCR) - The Chicago Bears wanted to look more like the Monsters of the Midway. The Bears' defense showed that kind of power Sunday when they dominated the Seattle Seahawks.

Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher and the rest of the Bears defense looked a little more like the Monsters of the Midway. Now they're one win from the Super Bowl.

Back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2006 Super Bowl season, Chicago harassed Matt Hasselbeck and held Seattle to 276 yards Sunday. The 35-24 win in the divisional round avenged an earlier loss to the Seahawks at home.

Jay Cutler threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his first playoff appearance, but he had plenty of help from the guys on the other side.

The Bears got seven tackles from Urlacher, six from Lance Briggs and two sacks from Tommie Harris.

It was a big contrast from the first meeting in October, when Seattle racked up 353 yards without a turnover in a 23-20 victory over the Bears.

This was what Chicago had in mind when it signed Peppers in the offseason. He's paid off in a big way, and it helped, too, that Urlacher was healthy after missing most of last season with a wrist injury.

A defense that had struggled at times in recent years ranked among the stingiest all season, and the Bears didn't give up much when it counted Sunday.

The Bears kept Hasselbeck off balance after he threw for four touchdowns last week in that stunning win over defending champion New Orleans. Chicago's defense again looked more like the dominant unit that led the way to the Super Bowl four years ago.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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