"With a win today in the Windy City against the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll can match his team's win total from last season and continue to chase faint hopes of making the playoffs for a second season in a row.

Carroll's Seahawks play in Solider Field for the third time in a little more than a year – the same place they fell behind last January in the NFC Divisional playoffs 28-0 and ultimately lost, 35-24, to a team they had beaten three months earlier in the regular season.

But these young Seahawks – winners of four of their past five – are confident heading into their second-to-last road game of this season.

The Bears are dealing with a slew of off-the-field issues, including the arrest of former teammate Sam Hurd on drug trafficking charges and the absence of offensive playmakers quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte due to injuries.

"I don't know if there's anything worse than a bear with a bad tooth," Carroll said earlier this week, when asked about playing a talented Chicago team on the road. "We know that these guys are ready for it and it's going to be very difficult at their place. Fortunately, we feel familiar with this travel and this trip and the setting and all of that and hopefully that will allow us to get close to playing our best. We're going to have to play really well to be in this football game with these guys.""