What two words are ominous for the Chicago Bears in the postseason?

They are Brown and Harris.

In Chicago at least, Bears fans worry about which Rex Grossman will show up in the postseason. However, it has been demonstrated that a solid defense is key in the playoffs, even more important than in the regular season.

Pro-Bowl safety Mike Brown and Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris both started the first six games of the Bears' season. The Bears only allowed an amazing 9.8 points per game in those games. For the next six games, with Brown out for the rest of the season, the Bears allowed 15.2 points per game. After 12 games, they held the number one spot in the NFL in points allowed per game, but just barely. Then Harris was injured. The Bears played the last four games without Brown and Harris and they allowed 26.3 points per game. Now that is an ominous trend. With Brown and Harris out for the playoffs as well, the defense is playing significantly short-handed.

New England and Baltimore finished the season giving up fewer points than the Bears, but the Bears did have the best defense in their conference by a significant margin. The Bears will have cornerback Charles Tillman and defensive tackle Tank Johnson back for the playoffs. That will help. But will it be enough without Brown and Harris?