Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks: Who Wins and Why

A comparison of the position groups in Thursday Night Football at Soldier Field between the Bears and Seahawks as Caleb Williams leads an attempt to keep Chicago from losing a 10th straight.
The Bears and Seahawks meet Thursday night for the first time since the 2021 season.
The Bears and Seahawks meet Thursday night for the first time since the 2021 season. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
In this story:


Trends can develop even in a three-game stint for an interim head coach.

All of the negative trends Bears interim head coach has had to deal with started well before he became the man in charge, in fact.


There is the eternal Bears problem of slow offensive starts. Trailing first in 14 of 15 games, scoring 20 first-quarter points in 15 games, going scoreless in three straight first halves before last week all destroyed any kind of offensive flow to a game for the Bears.

"I would say the entire offense is the reason for the slow starts," Brown said. "I think it's not just one position or one person.

"Unfortunately, at times, guys have taken turns–not doing things properly, not being detailed enough, obviously penalties. Haven't always been the biggest issue but of late have been the issue. I wouldn't just put it on the O-line. I wouldn’t do that."

But they do have something to do with it, as do the backs, Caleb Williams, the receivers and the coaches. It takes a total team effort to lose nine straight games after starting 4-2.

The defense is now all in on this problem with 102 points allowed in the last three games. They can't seem to find a third-and-long they can stop these days. The third-and-17 last week almost required an effort to give up the first down but they did it.

On Thursday night they take these downward trends against one the league's biggest roller coast teams this season, the Seattle Seahawks, and try to reverse things to keep the second-longest losing streak in franchise history from hitting double digits.

It's the Bears and the Seahawks on the lakefront on Thursday Night Football. Here's who wins and why.

Bears Passing vs. Seahawks Pass Defense

Seattle brings in the 16th-ranked pass defense with real speed in its secondary in the form of Riq Woolen, aka Riq the Freak, as well as slot cornerback Devon Witherspoon from Illinois. The pass rush doesn't have a big-name edge but potential trouble that becomes even more dangerous when Leonard Williams is caving in the front on the QB's face. A Bears offensive line that could be without both its starting left guard and tackle will be trying to patch things up again in order to keep Caleb Williams upright. The deeper passes the Bears completed last week might not be possible because of the combination of the pass rush and solid coverage from a group of legitimate starters. Remember, they could only score 17 points last week against a Lions secondary, D-line and linebacker group in tatters due to injuries. Edge Seahawks

Bears Running vs. Seahawks Run Defense


This is where Williams really has had an impact this season on the Seattle defense with 12 tackles for loss. Seattle doesn't rank high at stopping the run but has played a large number of games against top 10 rushing teams like Green Bay (7th), San Francisco (10th), Arizona (5th) and holds its own. The Bears can't run the ball, anyway. Last week marked the sixth time in eight games they have run for 78 yards or less. That's not getting it done, and it's on the line and the backs in this case. Edge Seahawks

BEARS INJURY REPORT FOR TUESDAY: SAFETY DEPTH HIT HARD

SEAHAWKS WHO CAN CAUSE BEARS MATCHUP PROBLEMS

BEARS FANS REACT TO COMMENT ABOUT TEVEN JENKINS' FUTURE

BRAXTON JONES' SEASON-ENDING INJURY MEANS LEFT TACKLE QUESTIONS

Seahawks Passing vs. Bears Pass Defense

A few weeks ago this one might have come down a draw or edge to the Bears but not any more. There isn't much of a pass rush coming from Montez Sweat. Gervon Dexter could return this week but he's playing injured. The Bears are giving up 31 points a game in their last five with only one sub-30 effort in those games. They've slipped all the way to 23rd against the pass from a top-10 group. Geno Smith is vulnerable, with 15 interceptions on the season, but it requires a pass rush to keep him from finding a special group of receivers including DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett. Edge to Seahawks

Seahawks Running vs. Bears Run Defense

This has been a real problem area for Seattle and for the Bears to have a chance in this game they will need to dominate the way they did last year and at times early this season. Now 26th against the run, they've gradually declined since Andrew Billings' season-ending injury. DeMarcus Walker can be stubborn against the run on the edge but they've had problems by and large.

Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet haven't been dominant running backs by any stretch of the imagination, Walker averaging only 3.7 yards a carry and Charbonnet just making 106 rushing attempt so far. Edge Bears

Special Teams

Two very comparable groups on special teams with both middle of the pack in kickoff returns and kick return yardage allowed. The only significant difference is Seattle does a better job of covering punts, allowing 8.6 yards to the Bears' 10.7 yards. But the Bears' have a very big edge in kick returns with the ninth-best group at 28.6 yards and Seattle only 16th stopping kickoffs. Cairo Santos rates a bit better overall than Jason Myers, although both have four misses on the year. Blocked kicks have been Santos' issue. No Edge

Coaching

Mike McDonald has performed adequately for a rookie coach but is not going to make anyone forget Pete Carroll's glory days yet. This is the first time Bears interim coach Thomas Brown hasn't had to match wits against one of the top coaches in the league. Perhaps they get the offense working in the first quarter for a change. No Edge

Intangibles

Playing at home on a short work week after a home game is much easier than playing on the road and also losing a few hours with the trip east. The Seahawks haven't had much prep time for this game at all, but the real question is why they would need it with the Bears in free fall. However, if anyone can do this it's the Seahawks, who have a 5-1 record on the road and will have traveled 32,797 miles this year, most in the NFL. The Bears have been the monsters of Thursday night, with wins in four of their last five on those nights, but Seattle has incentive. No Edge

Prediction: Seahawks 21, Bears 12

Seattle's offense is capable of being explosive but has not been through much of the season, but its defense has come on strong like the Bears did late last year, ranking sixth since Week 11. With so much on the line for Seattle in terms of the
playoffs, expect the Bears to put up a fight for a while before fading.

X: BearsOnSI


Published |Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.