Jared Allen slipped into the philosophical when asked about his winless Bears traveling to play the defending NFC champion Seahawks.
“Would it be any different if we were 2-0?” the outside linebacker asked. “Would it be less tough?”
It would be more difficult, likely, if the Seahawks weren’t making their home debut Sunday following road losses to the Rams and Packers.
Here are three things the Bears will watch this week:
• A running QB. Russell Wilson has 109 rushing yards, two behind quarterback leader Cam Newton and tied for 21st among all NFL players. He was encouraged to run more in the second half against the Packers, and wound up totaling 78 yards on 10 carries.
• An under-used tight end. In two games with his new team, Jimmy Graham has caught seven passes on 10 targets for 62 yards and one score. With the Saints last year, he totaled 85 catches on 124 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“We just want him to be a factor, and he wants to, too, desperately,” Carroll told reporters Monday.
• A different safety. With Kam Chancellor holding out — he wants $4 million of his 2017 contract moved to 2016 — the Seahawks played Dion Bailey at strong safety in Game 1 and DeShawn Shead in Game 2. Carroll said Shead was a better fit against pass-heavy offenses.
Related: only two teams — the Raiders and Bears — have allowed more than their 30.5 points per game.
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Email: pfinley@suntimes.com
