Bears take care of Seahawks on MNF

The Seattle Seahawks’ 12th man were out in full force on Monday night to watch their team take on the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster NFC matchup. The Seahawks sat at 4-3 coming in and were keen to make it back-to-back wins at home to really get the ball rolling in their title defense.

Under Ben Johnson, the Bears had continued to show signs of growth early in the season, but Seattle’s defense was expected to pose strong resistance against Caleb Williams and the offense, setting up an intriguing contest with plenty to play for.

After a quick 3 and out by the home side, Chicago put any concerns to rest by marching down the field with ease. Williams worked primarily through his top receiver in Luther Burden III, who made 4 catches for 23 yards on their opening drive, and eventually, a 1-yard touchdown.

Seattle took until their third drive of the night to settle into the game offensively. Sam Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba a couple of times to gain 37 yards and enter the red zone, but on his Bears debut, Jeffrey Simmons made a major stop to halt the drive, as the Seahawks had to settle for a field goal from Jason Myers to open their account.

Both defenses continued to hold the ascendancy on the game, forcing their opposition off the field quickly on consecutive drives, but Burden III was the point of difference. He gave his quarterback no choice but to keep throwing the ball his way as Chicago looked to take control of the game late in the first half.

The visitors didn’t take full advantage, but a pair of field goals from Cairo Santos had them poised to take a 10-point lead into the main break, until Smith-Njigba had his say.

Inside the final minute of the half, he broke loose for 43 yards and a touchdown to cut the margin and inject some life into the home team after a poor start to the game, although they still trained by 4 points at halftime.

Chicago’s defense picked up where it left off, generating consistent pressure on Sam Darnold, which was emphasised by a Montez Sweat sack.

Their offense rode that momentum to produce its most consistent drive of the night. Rome Odunze worked in concert with the ground game, and D’Andre Swift punched in the team’s second score of the night and take back a commanding lead.

In desperate need of some form of points to stay within touching distance, the Seahawks were forced to settle for a field goal attempt at the start of the final quarter. But things went from bad to worse when Myers’ attempt was blocked and the home fans made their frustrations known.

DeMarcus Lawrence completely altered the trajectory of the game when he picked up a loose ball after a Colston Loveland fumble. Already deep in Bears territory, Darnold made the play he needed to find Cooper Kupp for a 7-yard score, and all of a sudden Seattle were back in the game.

With the game there to be won, Williams remained composed and after hooking up with Kalif Raymond for a 39-yard gain, the Bears found themselves on the cusp of scoring an effectively game-sealing touchdown. Swift got the call once again, and made no mistake as Chicago made it a 27-17 lead.

Darnold’s most costly mistake on a poor night came when he threw an interception to big man James Lynch, with Seahawks fans starting to head for the exits. Minutes later, Swift completed a hattrick and sealed a dominant 34-17 victory on the road, cementing the Bears’ credentials as genuine contenders.

Touchdowns
Chicago: Swift 3, Burden III
Seattle: Smith-Njigba, Kupp

Top Performers
Chicago: Burden III, Swift, Lynch, Simmons, Williams
Seattle: Smith-Njigba, Lawrence, Reed

Injuries
Chicago: N/A
Seattle: N/A

Crowd: 68,739 @ Lumen Field