Cooper Kupp posted “Back to work” after Seattle fell to the Chicago Bears 34-17 and said the offence had “way too many three-and-outs” and “short drives.”
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The Seattle Seahawks were coming off a Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears when veteran receiver Cooper Kupp posted three simple words on Instagram: “Back to work.”
A day after Chicago pulled away for a 34-17 win, Kupp wrote the message alongside a Week 8 photo carousel tagged at Lumen Field. In a postgame press conference, he pointed to what kept happening after early drives—short sequences that repeatedly sent Seattle’s defence back onto the field.
Kupp said the Seahawks faced “Way too many three-and-outs” and “Way too many short drives.” He also cited the difficulty Seattle had extending possessions, converting just one of 11 third downs and frequently needing long gains to keep drives alive. Chicago sacked quarterback Sam Darnold three times, a contrast from the previous week when Seattle had limited sacks against Kansas City.
The receiver credited Chicago’s secondary with disguising coverages and playing its safeties aggressively while the Bears’ front generated pressure. Kupp also said Seattle’s own receivers needed to do more when Darnold broke out of the pocket, arguing they should spread out to give him places to go with the ball.
One of Seattle’s scoring bursts showed how quickly the Seahawks could respond when the field tilted in their favour. DeMarcus Lawrence forced and recovered a fumble at the Chicago 25, and Darnold connected with Kupp for a 7-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion brought the score to 20-17 with 11:46 left, before Chicago added two more touchdowns, including one after a tipped Darnold pass was intercepted and returned to the Seattle 6.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the centre of Seattle’s production, catching six passes for 118 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown. The evidence in the game summary shows Smith-Njigba accounted for nearly two-thirds of Darnold’s 188 passing yards, with no other Seattle receiver exceeding 26 receiving yards.
Kupp said Smith-Njigba earned the attention he received, and that the other receivers must compete on plays when the ball goes elsewhere and make the most of the opportunities they get. He also linked that to Darnold extending plays, saying a receiver covered on the original route can still provide a throwing option once the play breaks down.
With the loss, Seattle dropped to 4-4. The Seahawks will host the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, Nov. 8.
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