League insider's look at the Bears-Seahawks matchup

SI.com's Don Banks had a veteran NFC insider assess the divisional-round playoff games.

Seattle at Chicago

Matt Hasselbeck completed 18 of 36 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle's win over Dallas. John Biever/SI

• Seahawks -- Matt Hasselbeck didn't have a great game against Dallas, and now he has to deal with such a hostile environment and one of the better defenses in the league. You're not going to win throwing the ball over the field in Chicago at this time of year. You just worry that if Seattle doesn't get Shaun Alexander going early, and get some tough yards out of him, it could be a very long day for Hasselbeck ...

I don't know how Alexander runs in the cold, or after he gets the dog knocked out of him. But he's got to keep coming and keep hammering it up in there against the Bears. He can't let Brian Urlacher intimidate him. He's got to want the ball again and again, and be a tough physical player against that defense ...

You can't compare Seattle's defense to Chicago's, but they at least played hard and made some plays when they needed to against Dallas last week. Considering their injuries in the secondary, they did a nice job covering up for them. Up front they took away some of Tony Romo's throwing lanes to take some pressure off their cornerbacks. And they did a nice job of mixing in some safe pressure, without putting those guys back there into a lot of single coverage. Still, you can't like Seattle's chances to hold up defensively if Chicago has some success running the ball on early downs. Things could get difficult for the Seahawks if that happens ...

If Seattle knows what's good for it, it won't kick to Devin Hester. That guy has been amazing. You can't let him put up a big return against you, because that's just what the Bears offense needs at this point with Rex Grossman struggling.

• Bears -- Let's be honest, Chicago won 13 games but it's not like the Bears had the toughest schedule in the world. They're not in the strongest of divisions. They've won with defense and special teams for the most part ...

The Bears defense plays with tremendous confidence and understanding of what it's doing. The Bears are aggressive with their style of play and with their calls. They just do a great job of playing within their style. They're not going to go blitz crazy on you and leave their cornerbacks on an island. But they play hard and fast, and they tackle so well ...

Everybody wants to know what's going on with Rex Grossman, but I think he was playing over his head early. I think he started so fast, and then he went through a little period like a young player often will where he's inconsistent. He's not a super talent, but he is a tough, competitive kid. He probably plateaued there for a while. But now maybe he's ready to make another jump. I think he'll learn from all this and grow from it. I respect the kid. I think it's going to help him in the long run, what he went through ...

Look for Lovie Smith and Ron Turner to have a really smart game plan for Grossman. They'll do an excellent job of minimizing the chances they take with him, and the opportunities they give him to make mistakes that could cost them the game. They'll play great defense and special teams, and run the ball plenty. They're not going to ask Grossman to win this game. They're going to ask him just not to lose it.