Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Eek Out Punting Contest, Secure 6-3 Win Over Bears

Fireworks on offense were few and far between at Soldier Field, but the Seahawks were slightly better on defense to keep their NFC West hopes alive.

Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

CHICAGO, Ill. - Battling in a duel of offensive futility that featured more punts than points scored, the Seattle Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive thanks to a stingy defensive effort in a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.

Playing an efficient, yet unspectacular game, Geno Smith threw for 160 yards and Zach Charbonnet rushed for 57 yards in place of Ken Walker III, leading to a pair of scoring drives culminating with Jason Myers field goals. Leonard Williams posted his fourth multi-sack game of the season bringing down Caleb Williams twice and Riq Woolen closed out the game with his third interception of the season to send Seattle back home with a ninth win and a guaranteed winning season.

With points at a premium all night long, here are five key takeaways from the Seahawks low-scoring victory at Soldier Field:

1. Health withstanding, Geno Smith didn't have one of his sharpest evenings under center.

Playing on short rest while nursing a knee injury, Smith didn't look comfortable from the outset against a Bears defense that had struggled mightily to keep opponents off the scoreboard during a nine-game losing streak. After the Seahawks marched into the red zone on the game's opening drive, he nearly threw his sixth red zone interception of the season, trying to force feed Tyler Lockett in tight coverage between two defenders and lucking out that neither player could haul in the gift-wrapped pick. On the next drive, he uncorked an ugly third down throw when Jaxon Smith-Njigba was wide open, airmailing it well behind him to lead to a punt.

Throughout the contest, Smith played more tentative than normal, with much of his yardage early in the game coming off of screens to receivers and tight ends. Not surprisingly, his uncharacteristic inability to deliver the ball to targets downfield with accuracy while dealing with occasional pressures collapsing on the pocket played a part in Seattle's poor third down conversion rate, as the team only moved the chains five times on 13 opportunities. His numbers wound up being decent overall with seven yards per attempt, but explosives were few and far between and many of his longer completions being aided by after the catch yardage after dump off throws.

2. A Ken Walker-less ground game thrives against one of the NFL's worst run defenses.

While Smith wasn't his usual self in terms of attacking downfield with crisp deep passes, the Seahawks were able to control the pace of the game early by running the ball effectively with the tandem of Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh. The pair of second-year runners combined for 53 yards on seven carries on the opening series of the game, including McIntosh ripping off a 25-yard run on a duo concept behind a double team from Sataoa Laumea and Abraham Lucas, setting the table for Jason Myers to connect on a 27-yard field goal to open the scoring.

Though their success didn't lead to many more points, Charbonnet and McIntosh teamed up to rush for 87 yards on just 13 carries in the first half, helping the Seahawks tack on another field goal before halftime to take a three-point advantage they wouldn't relinquish. The Bears started to stack the line of scrimmage in the final two quarters and played the run more aggressively, stuffing Charbonnet on a 3rd and 3 in the fourth quarter to lead to another punt. But the two runners still had 113 yards on 22 carries and Smith added 20 yards on two scrambles, helping the team eclipse 120 rushing yards and five yards per carry in a low-scoring slugfest.

3. From start to finish, Devon Witherspoon dominates a game as few slot corners can.

Statistically, Witherspoon hasn't equaled his fantastic numbers from his Pro Bowl rookie season, but he helped offset some of those differences with a ridiculous performance in Chicago. Late in the first quarter, running as if he was shot out of a pistol, the second-year defender hunted down D'Andre Swift on a toss sweep and somehow corralled him for a seven-yard loss to eventually force the second of seven punts by the Bears. He later chased down D.J. Moore on a jet sweep and hauled him down for a three-yard loss, capping off a great first half.

From there, Witherspoon continued to be a one-man wrecking crew lining up all over the field and occasionally coming on the blitz. Ironically, his first sack of the season came when Caleb Williams sprinted on a scramble on the first play of the third quarter and voluntarily went out of bounds at the line of scrimmage with the heat seeking missile bearing down on him. On the next possession, he hauled down Swift again after a quick dump off out of the backfield, rallying to tackle him for a loss a yard in the backfield. In total, he finished with six tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, creating major problems for Chicago's offense throughout the evening and showing he's one of one at his position in game-changing talent.

4. Stunts and sim pressures galore, Mike Macdonald twists Caleb Williams into a mental pretzel.

Drafted first overall in April, Williams has an innate ability to extend plays after they break down and create explosives both as a passer and a runner, making him a unique weapon to game plan for at the quarterback position. While the rookie made a few splash plays along the way, however, including a couple gutsy throws under pressure in the fourth quarter, Macdonald came in with an excellent game plan to contain him in the pocket and harass him with high frequency. Out of the gate, Uchenna Nwosu came after him on Chicago's first third down looping back inside on a stunt to force an incompletion and an ensuing punt, a sign of things to come on a challenging night for the top pick.

Savvily mixing and matching stunts with blitzes and simulated pressures while sending linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties from all over the field, Macdonald pushed all the right buttons as the Seahawks got to Williams for seven sacks. Leading the charge, Leonard Williams got home twice to bring down the quarterback, while Nwosu recorded his first sack in over a calendar year and both Witherspoon and Rayshawn Jenkins tallied sacks from the secondary. On Chicago's final fourth down conversion attempt, the coach then sent nine after him, including safety Coby Bryant generating the hit that resulted in a game-clinching interception by cornerback Riq Woolen, capping off a masterful game plan with top notch execution by the entire defense.

5. A decisive single snap in the third quarter may have ultimately decided the outcome of the game.

Closing in on the end of the third quarter, the Seahawks appeared to be on the verge of potentially busting a tight game open after Smith hooked up with Smith-Njigba for a 19-yard completion past midfield. But three plays later on 2nd and 9, tight end Pharaoh Brown coughed up a fumble after being swarmed by multiple defenders battling for extra yardage, allowing cornerback Kyler Gordon to scoop up the ball and race 62 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. Initially, officials ruled the play as a score, giving the Bears a 9-6 lead temporarily and providing a frustrated home crowd something to be excited about.

Thankfully for Seattle, however, Brown's foot made contact with Gordon while he had control of the football and had a knee on the ground. Officials reviewed the play and while the fumble stood, they ended up awarding Chicago the ball at their own 38-yard line. After picking up one first down to get into opposing territory, Nwosu chased down a scrambling Williams for a 14-yard sack, setting the drive back well beyond the sticks. Only able to pick up two yards on the next two snaps, the Bears were forced to punt again and what once looked to be a game-changing turnover became a crisis averted with no points on the scoreboard, allowing Macdonald and company to breath a sigh of relief on the sideline.

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