The boo birds were out in full force Thursday night at Soldier Field after another Chicago Bears loss, this time a low-scoring 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
On a chilly, rainy night in Illinois, the defensive struggle saw all three field goals scored in the first half. The game came down to the wire, with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams driving the Chicago offense to the Seattle 40-yard line in the final minutes. Needing a first down to keep the Bears alive, Williams was hit as he threw, and the ball was intercepted by Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen, sealing the Seahawks’ victory. The interception was Williams’ first in 354 passes, ending the longest interception-free streak by a rookie in NFL history.
Williams finished the game with 122 passing yards and the crucial interception. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards.
While offense was scarce, both defenses put on strong performances. The Seahawks defense sacked Williams seven times, significantly impacting the game and boosting their NFC playoff hopes. NFL.com currently gives Seattle a 15% chance to make the postseason. The constant pressure on Williams has become a recurring theme this season, as he has now been sacked 67 times. He is now approaching the NFL record for most sacks in a season, held by David Carr with 76 in 2002.
Amidst chants of “sell the team” from frustrated Chicago fans, Seahawks quarterback Smith emphasized the importance of securing wins, regardless of the style. “Defense played tremendous,” Smith said on the Amazon Prime broadcast. “At this point, we don’t care how we get wins. We just want to win games. I don’t care if it was 5-4. We got the dub. It was a hard fought game. Our defense was lights out.”
With the win, Seattle improves to 9-7 and remains in contention for the NFC West title. If the Los Angeles Rams lose to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and the Seahawks defeat the Rams in their final regular season game, Seattle will clinch the division and a playoff berth.
For the Bears, the loss marks their 10th consecutive defeat after a 4-2 start to the season. Their record under interim head coach Thomas Brown now stands at 0-4. Chicago will conclude their regular season with a game against the Green Bay Packers.
