Urlacher honored as Bears get first win

In a stadium full of No. 54 jerseys, Sebastian Janikowski, of course, kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

A 54-yarder by the Seahawks kicker would have been more appropriate Monday night on Brian Urlacher's big evening, no?

Then, as Urlacher, the greatest No. 54 in Bears history, walked off the Soldier Field grass following an on-field ceremony and after receiving his NFL Hall of Fame ring, Janikowski, the ancient kicker, gave him a hug. It was just 18 years ago, after all, that the two were selected in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. The Bears took Urlacher ninth overall, the Raiders picked Janikowski 17th, and the Patriots grabbed some quarterback out of Michigan with the 199th pick (sixth round).

Whether the QB the Bears drafted No. 2 overall last year ends up with as many Super Bowl rings as Tom Brady remains to be seen. In the meantime, while Mitchell Trubisky continues to experience growing pains, as he did on Monday Night Football, the Bears will need their defense to flash Urlacher skill, Urlacher tenacity and Urlacher speed.

"He's someone I watched play growing up," Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks said of Urlacher. "I was super excited to see the (halftime) ceremony, but we were kind of busy, so I didn't see any of it."

The defense made Urlacher proud against Seattle, particularly in the first half, as the Bears won their home opener 24-17 to even their record at 1-1 and give Matt Nagy his first win as a head coach.

It was the Bears' first win, too, since Urlacher went into the Hall of Fame this summer.

"It makes us remember what the Bears' culture is all about," nose tackle Eddie Goldman following a night when Urlacher highlights and tributes from his former teammates played on the video board after almost every stoppage in play. "(Players) who came before us did a good job of upholding the 'Monsters of the Midway' thing and the whole aura about that. That's what we want to carry on."

While Trubisky threw a pair of interceptions in the first half and put up a 56.7 passer rating (83.0 for the game), the Bears sacked Russell Wilson 5 times. Goldman, Aaron Lynch, Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack and Danny Trevathan were credited with sacks.

And when they tackled Wilson, fans wearing those No. 54 jerseys (navy ones, white ones, orange ones, even black ones) roared. The Bears added another sack, by Trevathan, after halftime.

Defense - it's a Bears thing, always has been. And it has to be this season until Nagy's offense becomes one that can win games, or at least consistently moves the ball and possesses it.

To finish off Seattle and avert a second-half collapse similar to last week's at Green Bay, the Bears needed a pair of fourth-quarter gems by their defense. Prince Amukamara returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown, and Leonard Floyd recovered a fumble after Trevathan's strip/sack.

"We wanted to make a statement today," Trevathan said. "Celebrating Urlacher is special to this team.

"Especially for our linebackers," the middle linebacker added with a smile. "We take pride in that."

Urlacher was impressed what he saw in the first half.

"This defense has some really good football players on it," Urlacher said during a halftime interview with reporters. "They can win on defense. I think that is very apparent. I think Coach Nagy knows that. They also have explosive players on offense, though. It's just fun. They're a complete team. There are really good players at every position. And it's the most exciting it's been since I left."

Told of Urlacher's approval, Trevathan smiled again and shook his fist, slowly and repeatedly.

"We're just getting started," he said.