By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seahawks Stumble as Bears Dominate All Three Phases, 34-17

The Seahawks’ disappointing 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears came down to execution. The Bears offense executed with surprising fashion against a Seahawks defense that felt good after a lights-out performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. In their 20-3 dominant win over the Chiefs, the Seahawks’ defense’s rush and coverage technique were flawless. Monday night’s disappointing loss to the Bears was not solely on the defense. The Seahawks struggled on all three phases of the game.

“ I think it’s a tip of the cap to the (Chicago) Bears. They won the game. They won it fair and square. They won it in all three phases. We got beat,’ said head coach Mike Macdonald. “ No other way to sugarcoat it. I think when you look at what it takes to win in our league, we didn’t do those things, and they did. So credit to them. Obviously we have some work to do, and that’s what we intend to do: get back to work and attack the heck of it.”

A SLOW START

Macdonald and his staff have plenty of items to attack, and historically they have moved on as a team. Most surprising and perplexing was how slow the Seahawks started the game. The Seahawks received the opening kickoff and punted after just three offensive plays. That’s not a surprise given the offense’s season-long slow starts. Punter Michael Dickson booted a perfect punt that landed yards before the goal line but was placed on the 20-yard line after Rodney Thomas II’s slide carried the ball into the end zone.

Having dodged a bullet, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams engineered a 17-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a one-yard TD pass to Luther Burden III.  The drive ate up  9:35 of game clock.  The Seahawks’ next offensive series started with Jeffrey Simmons sacking Sam Darnold and paying an instant dividend for the Bears, who acquired him days before the game from the Colts. The Seahawks offense couldn’t overcome the sack and punted for the second straight offensive series.

DEFENSE MAKES A STAND

A defiant stand by the Seahawks defense forced a  Bears punt on its next offensive possession. The stand inspired the Seahawks offense.  Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense found its footing on the next drive. Darnold’s 21-yard pass to Jaxson Smith-Njigba moved the chains from the Seahawks’ 46-yard line to the Chicago 33-yard line.

Another Darnold-to-Smith-Njigba connection for 16 yards followed Jadarian Price’s eight-yard run, moving the ball to the Bears’ 25-yard line. The  Bears defense made a defiant stand, and the Seahawks settled for a 27-yard field goal by Jason Myers. After both teams traded punts, the Bears extended their lead to 10-3 on a Cairo Santos 44-yard field goal with 6 minutes left in the half.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

Another three-and-out by the Seahawks offense gave the ball back to the Bears, who added another Santos field goal from 38 yards out. Down 13-3 with 1:08 left in the first half, Donald engineered the Seahawks’ best drive of the half and the game.   In the five-play, 71-yard drive, the Seahawks converted their only third down of the game. Darnold threw a perfect 43-yard bucket pass to a streaking Smith-Njigba for the touchdown. The sloppy play continued on the next play when  Myers missed the PAT.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO  COMPETE

The Bears couldn’t move the ball on their opening possession of the second half and punted back to the Seahawks offense. The Bears’ Montez Sweat sacked Darnold for -19 yards on second and 10, forcing a third-and-18.  Darnold and the Seahawks offense stuck to the script, gained nine yards on a George Holani run, and punted the ball back to the Bears offense.

BEARS OFFENSE FINDS ITS RHYTHM

The Bears offense went back to its bread and butter and ran the ball down the Seahawks’ throat on its next offensive series.  D’Andre Swift’s one-yard run capped a 10-play, 69-yard drive that extended the Bears’ lead to 20-9 with  5:08 left in the third quarter.  Understanding the urgency, Darnold and the offense moved the ball downfield with a mix of passes and runs. The most controversial call of the drive was an offensive pass interference on Smith-Njigba at the Bears’ 11-yard line. Things went from bad to worse when the drive stalled, and Myers’ 33-yard field goal was blocked.

DEFENSE MAKES A STAND; OFFENSE CONVERTS

With the special teams struggling and the offense playing football inconsistently, the defense made one more defiant stand.  On the Bears’ next offensive possession, Mike Morris sacked Williams for a ten-yard loss, and on 3rd and 20, DeMarcus Lawrence forced and recovered a fumble from Bears tight end Colston Loveland after an eight-yard reception.

The momentum from the fumble recovery appeared to dissipate quickly when Darnold’s intended pass to Cooper Kupp was intercepted. A defensive holding penalty nullified the interception.  Given a second chance, Darnold went back to Kupp after Price’s four-yard run and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass. Darnold found Tory Horton in the back of the end zone for a successful two-point conversion. The touchdown and two-point conversion brought the Seahawks within three points at  20-17.

BEARS PULL AWAY


Another special teams blunder aided the Bears on the ensuing kickoff. Mike Morris was called for unnecessary roughness, which gave the Bears the ball at the 44-yard line.  Williams and the Bears offense capitalized on the field position. All it took was six plays for the  Bears to extend their lead.  Swift capped a five-play, 56-yard drive with a five-yard run, extending the Bears’ lead to ten points after Santos’ extra point split the uprights.  

Darnold and the Seahawks offense gave the ball back to the Bears after Darnold threw his ninth interception of the season. The Bears’ James Lynch intercepted Darnold’s intended pass to AJ Barner. Lynch returned it to the Seahawks’ six-yard line, and the Bears doubled their lead on another Swift five-yard run. The Seahawks’ last offensive possession ended at the Bears’ seven-yard line after an incomplete Darnold pass on fourth down.

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