Three key players for Bears-Seahawks

There are a lot of things going against the Bears heading into their week three game against the two-time NFC defending champ Seattle Seahawks.

They will be playing without their two best passing game weapons in Alshon Jeffery and Jay Cutler, their pass defense has surrendered the most passing touchdowns in the league and their 22nd rank rush defense will be facing off against the 12th ranked rushing offense.

The odds are certainly stacked against them and few, if any, are picking the Bears to pull off a huge road upset, but maybe that's just what John Fox would like. Coaches love playing up the "nobody believes in us" line and, in this case, truly no one believes in them.

Granted Jimmy Clausen's 1-10 record as a started does not bode well for that underdog stuff.

There is no need to continue on about what a longshot it is for the Bears to pull off the road upset Sunday, but there are a few other interesting factoids about the opponent.

For example, the Bears are just 4-10 all time against the Seahawks in the regular season, a .286 winning percentage, the third lowest of any Bears opponent behind the Patriots (.250) and Texans (.000; 0-3 all-time). Other than the playoffs, where the navy and orange are 2-0, the Bears have not fared well against them.

The last time these two teams met, in 2012, it was the beginning of the end of the Lovie Smith defense, in some people's minds.

The Seahawks won 23-17 with rookie Russell Wilson accounting for 364 yards of total offense with the read option that the Bears could not stop. Jay Cutler was not to blame that day, going 17-for-26 for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns, no picks and an awesome 56-yard pass to Brandon Marshall to allow Robbie Gould to send it to overtime.

Things will certainly be different at Century Link Field Sunday, but can the Bears hang with one of the best NFC teams? Who needs to play big in order for the Bears to be in it?

Shea McClellin, ILB - McClellin to this point has been a disappointment of a player and hasn't lived up to his draft status. He still struggles to get off blocks, an important part of playing the LB position. However, he leads the team in tackles and as the de facto MLB he will be in charge of lining up the defense in Century Link, as well as working as a spy on Wilson. Wilson scrambled 10 times for 78 yards last week against Green Bay. Wilson may not be the passer Aaron Rodgers is, but his mobility allows him to keep plays alive like Rodgers can. It's one of the ways Rodgers killed the Bears in week one. It can't happen again and that starts with McClellin.

Matt Forte, RB - Forte is going to be an important piece every single week this year. He's currently third in the league in rushing yards with 202 and the Bears rank fifth in the league in rushing offense. Obviously Jeremy Langford and Jaquizz Rodgers will be big pieces of the game as well. but the rushing offense starts with Forte. Without Cutler the offense is going to rely on him even more to try and keep the loud Seattle 12th man from becoming too big a factor.

Pass rusher - I don't put entire position groups here, although the commenters on here seem to love to do that, but this week I am making an exception. The Seahawks have allowed eights sacks in the first two games (tied for second most sacks allowed in the NFL) and the Bears have a big ol' goose egg in the sacks stat. Whether it be Pernell McPhee (if he's healthy), Jared Allen, Will Sutton, Jarvis Jenkins, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, someone, ANYONE, get to the QB. The Bears need to pressure the QB to help out their struggling secondary, so please, someone show up and actually hit the oppositions quarterback this week!

Honorable mentions: Adrian Amos, Jimmy Clausen (He is what he is at this point of his career, we know what to expect, so why bother count on him to do something extraordinary?), offensive line (false starts)

Who do you think has to play well Sunday?