Seahawks grind out key road win as Bears skid continues

CHICAGO — The Seahawks didn’t necessarily need a win Thursday night to keep their playoff hopes alive, and the offense played like one.

They lacked discipline and DK Metcalf was booked for a pre-snap penalty and a personal foul after the whistle.

They were ineffective, managing only 265 yards and two field goals, their worst offensive performance this calendar year.

And in the end, the Seahawks won because of their ferocious defense as much as their offense. The 6-3 result wasn’t over until Rik Uhlen intercepted Caleb Williams’ desperation attempt. It was a fitting end to a slugfest of a game dominated by Mike McDonald’s defense.

It probably wasn’t that close against a four-win Bears team that had lost nine in a row, but a Seahawks win doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be eliminated from playoff contention, as the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. It means not.

For the Seahawks, the only path to the playoffs is as NFC West champions, and the best chance for that to happen is for Los Angeles to lose on Saturday and the Seahawks to win the following week at SoFi Stadium with Geno Smith and Seattle’s offense. That’s true. It should be much better than Thursday night.

Here’s what you need to know for both teams.

QB breakdown: Smith had an underwhelming performance, completing 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards with no touchdowns on a mid-40s night with occasional rain. He never threw an interception, which became his Achilles heel in 2024, but he nearly got picked in the red zone in Seattle’s opener. One of the three sacks he had was on a play where he held onto the ball when he should have gotten rid of it but was trying to buy time, resulting in a fumble and a recovery by Seattle. It became. Smith doesn’t mind going from Soldier Field to the mostly indoor SoFi Stadium next weekend, as he tends to play better away from the natural elements. There’s a contract escalator worth $6 million at stake there, and a possible playoff run. He will also qualify for the game against the Rams.

Promising trends: Williams entered Thursday as the NFL’s most sacked quarterback and took advantage of the Seahawks’ deep pass rush. They pressured Williams on 10 of his first 20 dropbacks and kept him hot throughout the game. Seattle finished with seven sacks from six different players. One came from Uchenna Nwosu, the first game of the injury-hit season.

Promising trends, part 2: Although they played against a below-average Bears run defense, the Seahawks had some success on the ground. His 53 rushing yards on the first drive, which resulted in a field goal, nearly matched last week’s total of 59 yards. Zach Charbonnet (57 yards on 15 attempts) led the way with 122 rushing yards on 25 carries after Seattle placed Kenneth Walker III on IR. The Seahawks haven’t run the ball as much as McDonald would have liked this season, which has put some scrutiny on first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. But the run game was at times one of the few bright spots for Seattle’s offense against Chicago.

Important plays: Late in the third quarter, tight end Pharoah Brown was robbed by cornerback Kyler Gordon, who returned the ball for a touchdown. That would have given Chicago a 10-6 lead, but officials determined Gordon went down due to contact, and Seattle’s defense ultimately relieved Brown by forcing a punt. A sack of Nwosu for a loss of 14 yards stalled the drive. — Brady Henderson

Next match: Los Angeles Rams (TBC, January 4th or 5th)

A slow start has been an issue for the Bears all season, as they have totaled 20 points in 16 first quarters. In his weekly pregame interview on ESPN 1000, Chicago general manager Ryan Pauls weighed in on the root of these issues.

“I think it comes from training camp,” the Polish said. “Whatever it is, it’s just some of the things that weren’t being covered or explained in enough detail.”

Chicago’s offense was in disarray the night Williams averaged a season-low 1.3 air yards, according to ESPN Research. Williams struggled behind an offense that was missing left tackle Braxton Jones, who was placed on injured reserve this week, and left guard Teven Jenkins, who was sidelined with a calf injury. The Bears’ offense converted 33 percent of its third-down attempts, but looked sluggish with seven drives ending in punts.

The Bears lost 10 in a row against Seattle and will end a season that fell well short of expectations in Green Bay in Week 18.

Describe this game in two words: Hard watch. The Bears were unable to find traction on offense, averaging 3.1 yards per play. Chicago’s best drive, which gained 67 yards and took 7 minutes, 47 seconds, resulted in a field goal after a holding penalty on left guard Jake Kahan negated a touchdown from Williams to Roman Odunze. The defense kept it close, but it was an ugly Thursday night game for both teams.

Worrying trends: Williams has endured a lot of hits this season. He was under relentless pressure on dropbacks throughout the game, leading to seven sacks. This brings his total sacks to 67 for a quarterback this season, the second-most by a rookie QB behind David Carr’s record-setting 76 sacks in 2002.

The most amazing performance: The Bears’ defense recorded three sacks for the first time since Week 12 against Minnesota. Former Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor recorded his first sack since Chicago’s season-opening win over Tennessee, and defensive tackle Byron Cowart recorded his first full sack since Dec. 10. 2020. — Courtney Cronin

Next match: Green Bay Packers game (TBC, January 4th or 5th)