CHICAGO - The wakeup call today will come really early for the Seattle Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll. Kickoff is 10 a.m. West Coast time and after a shortened week following a Monday night victory, who'd blame the Seahawks for being a bit sleepy.

That's OK, though, for the perpetually positive Carroll. Coming back to Soldier Field will be one of those been-there, done-that moments. It will be the Seahawks' third game in the Windy City in 14 months.

"We know where we're going and we know where the hotel is and the locker room a little bit and all that kind of stuff," said Carroll, who brought his team to town Friday night.

"I hope that guy sings the national anthem again who sang it in the playoff game. That guy was awesome," Carroll added.

That playoff game, a divisional matchup, turned into a 35-24 victory for the Bears last January. Earlier in the 2010 regular season, Seattle pulled out a 23-20 win at Soldier Field.

Now it's another important faceoff for the Seahawks (6-7) and Bears (7-6), who've been moving in opposite directions while vying for an NFC wild card berth.

The Seahawks have won four of five, behind a young aggressive defense and the strong running of Marshawn Lynch. The Bears, hampered by injuries to their two most important offensive players, quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, have lost three straight.

It is the seventh meeting in the last six years between the two teams - a lot of games considering they're not in the same division - with two coming in the playoffs and the Bears winning both.

But Carroll has overhauled Seattle's roster since taking over before last season when he guided them to the NFC West title. Of the 53 players currently on the active roster for this week's game, 12 were with the team in 2009.

Seattle is allowing 104 yards rushing per game and that could be a major factor because the Bears are going to try and run the ball and take pressure off Caleb Hanie, who's struggled as the replacement for Cutler, sidelined by a broken thumb.

Chicago's third-down conversion rate - 8-of-40 over the last three games - is telling with an inexperienced quarterback and wide receivers like Roy Williams and Earl Bennett who are either not getting open or not getting the ball.

Hanie did not throw an interception last week during a wrenching 13-10 overtime loss to Denver, after being picked off three times each in losses to Oakland and Kansas City. He's been sacked 15 times.

Hanie's three-game stretch has been on-the-job training, not a good time for that to happen. He's discovered this much:

"That wins are tough to come by. They don't hand them out. The plays that are out there, they have to be made," he said. "There's no excuses for ... I mean there are excuses you can make, but that's all they are, excuses. They don't get the job done."

Seattle's offense is centered around Lynch, who likes to munch on his Skittles while sitting on the sideline. And who knows if they're the secret to his energy, but he's been a force during the Seahawks' surge.

He leads the team with 969 yards on 225 carries with a career-high 10 total touchdowns. He's scored at least once in his last nine games played, tying Shaun Alexander for the longest streak in Seattle history. And he's reached 100 yards rushing in five of the last six games.

"Nobody is playing better than him right now," Carroll said.

Lynch made his Seahawks' debut at Chicago when he rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's 23-20 win. He was limited to four carries for 2 yards when the teams met in the playoff game.

Seattle's defense has 24 takeways this season and corner back Brandon Browner has five interceptions, including three in the last two games. Defensive end Chris Clemons has nine sacks and fellow defensive end Red Bryant has blocked four kicks this season, three field goals and a PAT.

Look for the Seahawks to have their sturdy run tested by the hard-charging style of Marion Barber, who rushed for 108 yards last week as the featured back in place of Forte, out with a sprained knee. Kahlil Bell could also see extended playing time out of the backfield.

Barber had two major gaffes in the loss to Denver - running out of bounds when the Broncos had no timeouts left as the Bears were near victory in regulation and then fumbling in overtime.

"When you make mistakes, everybody knows about it," Bears center Roberto Garza said of Barber, who seldom speaks to the media.

"He brings a lot of energy to this team and I'm glad he's on our side. We'll need him again Sunday."

The Seahawks are feeling good about themselves, coming off a 30-13 drubbing of the Rams. The roster mix that Carroll helped fashion is jelling at the right time.

Now a chance to not only play in Chicago again, but win a pivotal game. Certainly it's not as big as the playoff game 11 months ago, but a victory will perhaps open a path to the postseason for the Seahawks, who started the season 2-6.

"We've been growing," Carroll said. "We've never changed the tune about what we wanted to become or where we were going and that we believed in these guys and they believe in themselves. When you have success, it's easier to believe, it's easier to join in and feel part of it."