The Seattle Seahawks fell 34-17 to the Chicago Bears on Monday night at Lumen Field, dropping to 4-4.
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The Seattle Seahawks were beaten 34-17 by the Chicago Bears on Monday night at Lumen Field, a loss that left Seattle at 4-4. Head coach Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks were “beaten in all three phases of the game,” a theme reflected in a series of key numbers from the Week 8 matchup.
One of the clearest indicators was the margin: the 17-point defeat was Seattle’s worst loss since falling to Green Bay by 17 in Week 15 of the 2024 season. It was also the combined margin of defeat across Seattle’s six losses over the past two seasons leading into Monday’s game, following defeat margins of 4, 3, 2, 2, 3 and 3 points.
Chicago’s production also stood out on the ground and through the possession battle. The Bears gained 363 yards and 22 first downs, the most by a Seahawks opponent this season, after Seattle had been allowing just 233.9 yards per game entering the matchup.
Turnovers and third downs marked another swing in the game. Seattle extended a streak of consecutive games with at least one turnover, though the Seahawks had previously gone five straight games—from Week 18 of last season through this year’s opener, including the postseason—without committing a turnover. On third down, Seattle converted 1 of 11 attempts, contrasting with the week earlier when it went 11 for 16 in a win over the Chiefs.
Red zone execution separated the teams. The Seahawks scored just one touchdown on four red zone trips, as Sam Darnold connected with Cooper Kupp for one touchdown while the other three trips inside the 20 ended in a field goal, a blocked field goal and a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, the Bears converted all four of their red zone opportunities.
Seattle’s receiving highlights were led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished with 118 receiving yards on six catches, including a 43-yard touchdown. The total extended Smith-Njigba’s run to seven 100-yard games in eight contests this season, making him the first player to reach that mark through eight games since Adam Thielan in 2018 and the fourth player to do so in the Super Bowl era. Those 985 receiving yards also ranked second-most through eight games in the Super Bowl era, behind Tyreek Hill’s 1,014 yards in 2023.
On the defensive side, Mike Morris recorded the only sack of the game for Seattle, and it was the first of his NFL career. Tackling efforts were led by Ernest Jones IV, who made 13 tackles to bring his season total to 81, the third-highest in the NFL and the top total in the NFC.
The Bears also controlled the tempo and play volume, running 70 plays and holding the ball for 35:09 compared to Seattle’s 56 offensive plays and 24:47 of possession. The Bears also came in leading the NFL in plays run and time of possession, and they maintained that edge on Monday, including a 7-for-15 day on third down and one fourth-down conversion.
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