Little heard from chirpy Seahawk Houshmandzadeh
SEATTLE - T.J. Houshmandzadeh had talked a good game all week, but the Seahawks wide receiver barely made an impact with 4 catches for 35 yards.
Houshmandzadeh had said he would beat Bears defensive backs 95 percent of the time, but he had no catches longer than 14 yards and got shut out the first half.
"I guess we just did our job," cornerback Charles Tillman said. "Credit Zack (Bowman) and myself and the back four. We did what we were supposed to do."
Tillman claimed Houshmandzadeh said very little during the game.
"He was professional, he didn't say anything, I didn't say anything," Tillman said.
Linebacker Lance Briggs had the last word on the topic.
"I don't know how many yards he had, but I think our defensive backs did a good job," Briggs said. "They did the talking with the way we played today."
After further review: Challenging the officials' ruling that Matt Forte fumbled just short of the goal line late in the first half was huge for the Bears, who got the ball back when the call was reversed after a review. They scored two plays later and ended the half trailing just 13-7.
"Whenever there's a close call like that, and it's a critical situation, and we're not 100 percent sure it's going against us, we're going to challenge it," Smith said. "It's as simple as that."
My bad: The Seahawks scored their first touchdown on a 36-yard screen pass to Julius Jones, who appeared hemmed in along the sideline at around the 25.
But Charles Tillman, who later successfully stripped T.J. Houshmandzadeh, seemed to try for the strip on Jones rather than making the tackle. Jones eluded Tillman and Hunter Hillenmeyer and raced the final 25 yards for a TD.
But coach Lovie Smith took the blame.
"The screen for a touchdown," Smith said, "bad call on my part to put us in a hole a little bit."
Musical linebackers: Middle linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who had taken over after Brian Urlacher suffered a season-ending dislocated right wrist, left in the third quarter with a rib injury and did not return.
Nick Roach, who was filling in at strong-side linebacker for injured Pisa Tinoisamoa, moved to the middle with Jamar Williams taking over on the strong side. Tinoisamoa may be able to return Sunday against the Lions.