Seahawks earn key road win as Bears skid continues – Blogging Sole

CHICAGO — The Seahawks didn’t necessarily need to win Thursday night to keep their playoff hopes alive, and their offense went that way.

They were undisciplined and were punished with two procedural sanctions as well as a personal foul. DK Metcalf.

They were ineffective, passing for just 265 yards and two field goals in their worst offensive performance in over a calendar year.

And ultimately, the Seahawks were victorious thanks to their defense, as fierce as the offense was forgettable. THE 6-3 result It wasn’t over until Riq wool intercepted Caleb Williams“An uprising of despair, a fitting end to a brawl of a game dominated by Mike Macdonald’s defence.

It shouldn’t have been this close against a four-win Bears team that had lost nine straight games, but the Seahawks’ victory means they won’t necessarily be eliminated from the playoffs with a Los Angeles Rams win Saturday against Arizona Cardinals.

The Seahawks’ only path to the playoffs is to become NFC West champions, and the best chance is that Los Angeles loses on Saturday and the Seahawks beat them next week at So-Fi Stadium, where Geno Smith and Seattle’s offense will have to be much better than it was Thursday night.

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

QB breakdown: Geno Smith was disappointing, completing 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards without a touchdown on a humid night in the mid-40s. He didn’t throw any interceptions, which has been his Achilles heel in 2024, but he came close being spotted in the red zone during Seattle’s first drive. One of the three sacks he made came on a play in which he should have gotten rid of the ball, but he kept it while trying to buy time, resulting in a fumble that Seattle recovered. Smith tends to play much better inside, so he won’t mind going from Chicago to So-Fi Stadium next weekend, where he’ll have $6 million in contract incentives on the line — and potentially a playoff spot as well – against the Rams.

Promising trend: Williams entered Thursday as the NFL’s most sacked quarterback, and the Seahawks’ deep pass rush benefited. They pressured Williams in 10 of his first 20 losses and kept the pressure on him throughout the match. Seattle finished with seven sacks from six different players. One came from Uchenna Nwosuhis first of a season marked by injuries.

Promising trend, part 2: He ran into a below-average Bears run defense, but the Seahawks found some success on the ground. Their 53 rushing yards on their first field goal almost matched their total of 59 from all of last week. They finished with 122 rushing yards on 25 carries, with Zach Charbonnet (57 yards in 15 attempts) in the lead after Seattle’s putt Kenneth Walker on IR. The Seahawks haven’t run the ball as often or as well as Macdonald would like this season, which has put first-year OC Ryan Grubb under the microscope. But the ground game was at times one of the few bright spots in Seattle’s offense against Chicago.

Crucial game: End of third quarter, tight end Pharaoh Brown was stripped by the cornerback Kyler Gordonwho returned the ball for what was initially considered a touchdown. That would have given Chicago a 10-6 lead, but officials ruled Gordon fell through contact, and Seattle’s defense ultimately bailed Brown out by forcing a punt. Nwosu’s sack for a loss of 14 yards helped stall the drive. —Brady Henderson

Next game: to the Los Angeles Rams (TBD, January 4 or 5)

Slow starts have been a problem all season for the Bears, who total 20 points through the first 16 quarters. During his weekly pregame interview on ESPN 1000, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles gave his thoughts on the root of these issues.

“I think it came from the training camp,” said the Poles. “Those are just some of the things that haven’t been addressed, or haven’t been detailed enough, whatever it is.”

Chicago’s offense was a disaster on a night where quarterback Caleb Williams averaged 1.3 air yards per completion, his lowest mark of the season according to ESPN Research. Behind an offensive line that lacked left tackle Braxton Joneswho was placed on injured reserve this week, and left guard Ten Jenkinswho was ruled out with a calf injury, Williams struggled. The Bears offense converted 33 percent of its third down attempts and looked listless on seven drives that ended in punts.

The Bears suffered their 10th straight loss to Seattle and will finish a season well below expectations at Green Bay in Week 18.

Describe the game in two words: Difficult watch. The Bears failed to find traction offensively averaging 3.1 yards per play. Chicago’s best drive, which racked up 67 yards and ate 7:47, ended in a field goal after a holding penalty on left guard. Jake Curhan canceled a touchdown Caleb Williams has Rome Odunze. The defense kept things tight, but it was an ugly Thursday night game for both teams.

Disturbing trend: Caleb Williams has suffered many successes this season. Williams faced relentless pressure on dropbacks throughout the night, resulting in him being sacked seven times. This brings the quarterback’s total to 67 sacks this season, the second most by a rookie QB behind only David Carr’s record (76) in 2002.

Most surprising performance: The Bears defense recorded three sacks for the first time since hosting Minnesota in Week 12. Former Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor recorded his first sack since Chicago’s season-opening win over Tennessee while playing as a defensive tackle Byron Cowart landed his first full bag since December 10, 2020. —Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Green Bay Packers (TBD, January 4 or 5)