The Chicago Bears visit the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night at Lumen Field looking to extend a three-game winning streak, with Jeffery Simmons set to make his Bears debut.
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The Chicago Bears will try to earn their third straight win and fifth victory in the last six games Monday night when they visit the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
The matchup features the Bears’ expected debut of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, acquired Thursday in a trade with the Titans. The teams also meet in a quarterback storyline pitting Caleb Williams, the Bears’ No. 1 pick in 2024, against the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold, selected third overall by the Jets in 2018.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson said the Seahawks present a challenge on the road against “a good team,” noting Seattle won the Super Bowl last year and has talent across the field. Johnson added that his team needs to avoid penalties, take care of the football, and not “beat ourselves” after committing too many infractions in recent weeks.
Seattle came off a two-game losing streak with a 20-3 home win over the Chiefs last weekend, limiting Patrick Mahomes to a 58.3 passer rating and holding Kansas City to no touchdowns while keeping it out of the red zone. The Seahawks, who are tied for second in the NFL with 12 takeaways, will bring a defence that ranks No. 1 in yards allowed at 233.9 per game.
A major part of the Bears’ game plan will be their run game against a Seahawks run defence that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in the last 36 games (including the postseason). The Bears rank No. 1 in the league in rushing yards per game at 154.3, led by D’Andre Swift’s 476 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 116 carries. Seattle’s streak includes a franchise record, and it is paired with Seattle being only the third team in the last 20 seasons to avoid permitting more than 301 total yards in each of its first seven games.
Chicago will also be working without some key offensive pieces. Second-year back Kyle Monangai is set to miss his fourth straight game with a toe injury, and veteran tight end Cole Kmet is out after a season-ending knee injury suffered in the fourth quarter against the Patriots. The team will use rookie third-round pick Sam Roush as the “next man up” at the position.
On the passing side, Williams returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury and has been efficient without interceptions. In back-to-back starts since his return, he passed for at least 300 yards with no interceptions, including 305 yards and one touchdown in a 31-23 win over the Falcons and 308 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-24 win over the Patriots. Williams is second in the NFL with a 71.0 completion percentage and sixth among 33 qualified quarterbacks with a 105.6 passer rating.
Williams will face a Seattle pass defence that ranks No. 1 in the league in yards allowed at 144.4 and has not allowed more than 176 passing yards this year. Williams said the Seahawks are “relentless,” adding that they “take the ball away” and play aggressively at the front and in the back end.
Chicago’s recent production has been spread across skill positions. Since Williams returned, receiver Luther Burden III has recorded his two most productive games of the season, including 95 yards on eight catches versus Atlanta and 130 yards and one touchdown on four receptions against New England. Tight end Colston Loveland has also found the end zone in both of those games.
Defensively, the Bears will lean on Simmons in his first game with the team, while also benefiting from additional returnees. Montez Sweat is returning after a two-game suspension, and linebacker T.J. Edwards is expected back after missing the last two contests with a hamstring injury.
The Simmons acquisition comes after Seattle moved on its own front line. Two days before the Bears acquired Simmons, Seattle traded for Quenton Nelson, a Pro Bowl selection in each of his eight seasons with the Colts. Nelson, who will face Simmons after the Bears’ trade, said: “He’s an amazing football player and competitor, and yeah, I was like, ‘Man, can’t get away from this guy.’ So, yeah, it will be another battle against him this week.”
Seattle will be led offensively by Darnold, who has completed 62.1% of his passes for 1,290 yards with eight touchdowns, eight interceptions and an 80.5 passer rating that ranks 24th in the NFL. His eight interceptions are tied for the most in the league, and he has been picked off in each of the last five games, the longest interception streak of his nine-year career.
Seattle’s top target is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He leads the league with 867 yards, eight touchdowns and 58 receptions, and he is the first receiver in the Super Bowl era to record at least 850 yards and eight touchdowns in his team’s first seven games. The Seahawks’ rushing attack will be reinforced Monday night by the return of Zach Charbonnet, making his season debut after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s divisional playoffs, and rookie Jadarian Price, who missed the previous four games with a chest injury.
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