Halftime Observations: Seahawks Lead Bears in 6-3 TNF Snooze Fest

On the day after Christmas, neither the Seahawks nor the Bears have offered their fans much to be excited about in a sluggish Thursday night game.

Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenny McIntosh (25) runs the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

CHICAGO, Ill. - With the two teams nearly combining to punt as many times as points scored, the Seattle Seahawks slogged through an uneventful first half to take a 6-3 lead over the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.

Leaning more heavily on their ground game than they have at any time earlier in the season, the Seahawks came out running early and often with Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh handling the heavy lifting. The duo of second-year backs rushed seven times for 53 yards on their opening possession, including a 25-yard scamper by McIntosh that lead to a 27-yard field goal by Jason Myers, and finished the half with 87 yards on just 14 carries to pace the offense.

But while Charbonnet and McIntosh found consistent running room against Chicago's porous defensive front, Geno Smith wasn't near as sharp passing the football. Finishing 10 for 15 for 97 yards, much of his yardage came on quick screens and he nearly threw his sixth red zone red zone interception on the opening drive, lucking out that two Bears defenders couldn't secure the ball, while uncorking several inaccurate third down throws along the way.

Fortunately for Seattle, two of Smith's completions went to Noah Fant on tunnel screens to move the ball past midfield inside two minutes to play, setting up a 50-yard field goal by Myers to give the team a narrow advantage heading into the break.

Defensively, the Seahawks bottled up Caleb Williams and a sputtering Bears offense, forcing a pair of three and outs and three punts total. The rookie quarterback took a pair of sacks from Derick Hall and Leonard Williams, completing seven out of 13 passes for 82 yards with nearly a third of that total coming on a 24-yard completion to running back D'Andre Swift out of the backfield that helped lead to a Cairo Santos field goal late in the half.

Converting only two out of six third downs, Chicago didn't have much of a run game to complement Williams either behind a struggling, injury-plagued offensive line as Swift rushed for just 17 yards on eight carries, including getting stuffed by cornerback Devon Witherspoon for a seven-yard loss on a toss play. They averaged 2.7 yards per carry in the first two quarters with Witherspoon and Williams both recording a pair of tackles for loss.

After being outgained 178 to 101 by the Seahawks, the Bears will receive to open the second half looking to even the score or take the lead as the home team aims to play spoiler.

More Seahawks News

5 Storylines to Watch in Seahawks' Week 17 Game vs. Bears

Seahawks RBs Must Step Up in Ken Walker's Absence

Breaking Down Seahawks Playoff Scenarios Heading Into Week 17

Seahawks in Wait and See Mode With Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet

Seahawks Veteran DT 'Playing Really Good Football' Down Stretch