There was a stat making its way across the internet in Week 8 that noted the Seattle Seahawks had the longest current streak of not losing a game by more than four points in the NFL. As of Sunday, it had been 686 days since that had happened. The Seahawks virtually doubled the next closest team’s mark.
That streak came crashing to a halt on Monday night. The Bears beat up the defending Super Bowl champs 34-17. It could have been worse. Seattle, despite one iffy offensive pass interference call on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, benefited from several Chicago penalties that kept the Hawks alive.
In the end, it didn’t matter. As dominant as Seattle looked last week against Kansas City, they were thoroughly outclassed by a Bears team that will be a threat to win it all this year. In fact, this game demonstrated very clearly that the best division in the NFL is no longer the NFC West. It is the NFC North.
5 takeaways from a very tough night for the Seattle Seahawks
Nelson versus Simmons was a blowout
Seattle made a major move to improve their offensive line by acquiring Quenton Nelson from Indianapolis last week. Chicago made their big trade to help the defensive front, adding Jeffrey Simmons from Tennessee. In both players’ first games with their new clubs, Simmons was the hands-down winner.
The Bears' defensive line annihilated the Seahawks' offensive line. They did exactly what the Seahawks' front usually does to opponents – controlled the line of scrimmage without relying on the blitz. Seattle could not run. They could not protect Sam Darnold. They could not handle Jeffrey Simmons.
To be fair, Seattle was playing without their best lineman, Charles Cross. Nelson’s arrival moved Grey Zabel to right guard, so the Hawks had three players in new positions. Offensive lines require cohesion. They had none. Things should improve with a little time, but on Monday, it was ugly.
Special teams were atrocious
The offense wasn’t the only part of the squad that struggled. Special teams, often a real strength for Seattle, were also completely outclassed. They made two careless plays early on that cost them a lot of field position.
The first came when Rodney Thomas unnecessarily ruined a perfect play by Nehemiah Pritchett on punt coverage by trying to down the ball and instead carrying it into the end zone. Then, George Holani downed a kick that had landed short of the goal line, resulting in a start on the 20-yard line. In both instances, it appeared as if the players simply lost their concentration.
In the second half, with Seattle desperately trying to mount a comeback, personal fouls by Mike Morris and Irv Charles also cost valuable field position. And of course, Jason Myers missed an extra point and had a field goal blocked in one of his worst games. Myers has looked shaky at times this year, and nights like Monday have to raise concerns about how reliable he will be going forward.
There are no receiving options after JSN
After the first game of 2025, we spent a fair amount of time noting how unbalanced the Seattle receiving corps was. 14 months later, the problem is just as pronounced. Quite simply, Seattle has no receivers or tight ends who can beat man coverage, aside from Jaxon Smith-Njigba. This is a major problem.
Rashid Shaheed was out on Monday, but it would not have mattered. He might have helped the poor special teams play, but we have seen enough to know that Shaheed is not a great receiver. Cooper Kupp cannot beat coverage these days.
Tory Horton has promise but is not ready to assume a major role yet. That’s it. There is no one else. Chicago played without their best cover corner, and it didn’t matter one bit. If Darnold was not targeting JSN, no one was getting open.
The running backs will get better, but they are not good enough
It is reasonable to ask, in light of the previous note about receiving options, how Seattle’s offense managed to be so effective last year with the exact same receivers. As some of us have been saying week in and week out, not having Kenneth Walker impacts the entire offense – including the passing game. Seattle has no backs who really scare a defense.
If you were expecting Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price to ride to the rescue, you saw very clearly what they can and cannot do. Both backs will get better as they shake off the rust. But they are never going to do what Walker did last year because, quite simply, they are not fast enough to threaten a defense. They can help sustain drives, but they are not going to make game-changing plays.
If Seattle wants that, and I would think that they do, call up the Colts about Jonathan Taylor.
The offensive decisions are not getting better
Brian Fleury did nothing to convince anyone he had a handle on how to fix the offense. Seattle threw the ball twice as often as they ran (until the clock was winding down late and they inexplicably ran two straight plays). The running game wasn’t working, but they needed to keep trying. It’s not as if the passing game was succeeding. They were awful in the red zone, and it is hard to understand what the plan is on a condensed field … if indeed there is one.
The game was essentially over with Chicago up 34-17 late, but the Seahawks did manage to drive the ball to Chicago’s seven a little before the two-minute warning. It was fourth-and-four in a three-score game. The proper decision on fourth-and-four is a field goal. Seattle went for it and failed. Then the game was really and truly over.
I don’t know if that was Fleury’s call or Macdonald’s, but an offensive coordinator has to understand the situation and make sure the team makes it a two-score game at that point.
Seattle was outplayed and outcoached all game long. The final score was a reasonable reflection of what happened on the field. Now, they need to bounce back against an Arizona team that just upset Dallas. I suspect the Seahawks will play a much better game next week.
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