"Breaking down film Monday only reinforced what Bears defensive end Julius Peppers already knew about his performance Sunday against the Seahawks.

"I've got to rush better, play better," he said. "Everybody has to. I was frustrated because we lost and I didn't think we had enough of a sense of urgency to win that game."

Peppers failed to record a sack, but he was held without a sack in three other games this season and still managed to make an impact. That wasn't the case against rookie left tackle Russell Okung and the Seahawks.

"It doesn't matter who it is out there because everybody on this level can play," Peppers said, referring to his battles with Okung. "When I was a rookie, I was dominant. So it doesn't matter if it's a rookie, 10-year guy, five-year guy. It's an NFL offensive tackle, and you've got to beat him."

Coach Lovie Smith and his defensive staff have constantly preached the importance of pressure from the front four in the Cover-2 scheme. The Bears allowed Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to attempt 40 passes without sacking him once.

"We did get to him," Smith said. "There were a couple of times when we should have had a sack and we weren't able to because he got the ball out of his hands fairly quick. … But we're not pleased with where our rush is right now. We need to improve on that."

Peppers has just two sacks through six games, although statistics don't measure his impact on the defense. But he is bound to have off games like Sunday, particularly with offenses scheming to shut him down."