Seahawks drop 34-17 to Bears as offence stalls and special teams missteps add up

The Story

The Seattle Seahawks couldn’t find consistent offensive rhythm in a 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night, a result that dropped Seattle’s record to 4-4:1.

After a tough outing in a loss to the Broncos, the Seahawks had looked sharper in last week’s win over the Chiefs, but Monday night brought similar difficulties against Chicago. Seattle produced a few standout moments, including touchdowns by Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, along with flashes from Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet during their returns from injury. Overall, the Seahawks’ offence struggled to sustain success, going 1 for 11 on third down and frequently facing third-and-long. Quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked three times and hit hard on other occasions, and with Seattle needing points late trailing by two scores, Darnold threw a tipped pass that was intercepted, giving the Bears possession in the red zone to set up another touchdown.

Seattle also had trouble turning opportunities into points in the red zone again. The Seahawks settled for field goals on two of four red zone possessions, with one of those attempts resulting in a blocked kick. Their final trip into the red zone ended with a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter.

Smith-Njigba remained a bright spot despite the broader offensive struggles. He caught six passes for 118 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown. The performance marked the seventh time in eight games that he has gone over 100 yards, bringing his league-leading receiving total to 985 yards.

Defensively, Seattle limited Chicago to 3.6 yards-per-carry and had one turnover along with three three-and-outs, but the Bears still found ways to move the ball with more consistency than most opponents this season. The Bears went 7 for 15 on third down and produced touchdown drives of 80, 69 and 56 yards, plus another score off a short field after a turnover. Caleb Williams and the Chicago offence also found success with intermediate routes over the middle of the field, gaining large chunks of yardage against Seattle’s usually strong defence.

In the early fourth quarter, Seattle briefly threatened to swing momentum when it looked poised to steal a drive after an offensive pass interference call on Smith-Njigba negated a first-down catch inside the 2-yard line. The Seahawks were unable to convert and settled for a field goal attempt that was blocked. On the Bears’ following drive, DeMarcus Lawrence made a key defensive play to keep Seattle within reach: facing third-and-long after a Mike Morris sack, Williams threw a short pass to tight end Colston Loveland, and Lawrence chased down the play, punched the ball out, and recovered the fumble. That set up a Cooper Kupp touchdown to make the game a one-score contest, though Seattle couldn’t finish the comeback.

Special teams issues also played a role in the scoring swing. Early in the game, punter Michael Dickson pinned the Bears inside the 10-yard line, but after Nehemiah knocked the ball down at about the four-yard line, Rodney Thomas II slid and accidentally knocked it into the end zone for a touchback. With that improved field position, Chicago marched 80 yards for its first touchdown of the night. Seattle also lost field position with penalties on returns, and points were affected when Jason Myers missed an extra point and when a field goal attempt was blocked. A partially blocked punt involving Irv Charles also bounced favourably for Chicago, resulting in a 45-yard punt return.