The best chance for a win? 5 thoughts on the Chicago Bears in a short week vs. Seattle Seahawks
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears began a short week on Monday, quickly trying to turn around after a loss to the Detroit Lions.
Here are five thoughts on the Bears after Monday's press conferences at Halas Hall.
Seattle is probably the best chance for the Bears to win a game
Turning the clock back to the San Francisco game, the 49ers were 5-7 and had few positives as they kept losing star players.
The Bears still got waxed. There was no jolt of energy after promoting Thomas Brown from interim offensive coordinator to interm head coach.
After that, the Bears played the Vikings and Lions who have combined to win 26 games this season. The Bears have combined to win 20 games between the 2021 season until now.
They get maybe one last chance to snap their lengthy losing streak against Seattle. That's a maybe, because we don't know where the Packers will be come week 18.
If the Packers can improve their playoff standing with a win over the Bears, they'll play their starters. If not, they might not play Jordan Love and friends that top the depth chart.
If that's the case, the Bears might get a win in Week 18. It's a rather big "if," however.
Seattle plays into a Bears' strength
Even with Rome Odunze's two lost fumbles on Sunday, the Bears still have a plus-eight turnover differential this season.
That's good enough for sixth-best in the league. The Buffalo Bills lead the league with an astounding plus-20 turnover differential.
Seattle, on the other hand, is a minus-seven. They turn the ball over, especially with quarterback Geno Smith's 15 interceptions on the season. Seattle has also lost seven fumbles as a team.
The Bears' defense has been good at forcing turnovers. It was mores in the early part of the season, but it still speaks volumes the Bears have lost the turnover battle just four times this season: Sunday vs. Detroit, Week 2 vs. Houston, Week 3 vs. Indianapolis and Week 8 vs. Washington.
This season, Seattle has a 1-6 record in games they've lost the turnover battle. Forcing takeaways is possible, the Bears have done it and it's a massive key to the game on Thursday in a short week when preparation is at a minimum.
Caleb Williams has a chance to really shine Thursday
Take these quarterback stat lines from the games Seattle has lost:
- 23 of 34, 257 yards and two touchdowns.
- 18 of 28, 255 yards and three touchdowns.
- 18 of 18, 292 yards and two touchdowns.
- 22 of 35, 246 yards and three touchdowns.
The quarterbacks behind those games were:
- Daniel Jones
- Brock Purdy
- Jared Goff
- Sam Darnold
Goff is having an MVP-candidate caliber season but 18 of 18 is just a ridiculous stat line in the National Football League. It's also worth noting that none of these performances included an interception.
Williams has not thrown an interception in 326 consecutive passes, which is the seventh-longest pick-less streak in NFL history. The Bears' rookie won't win Rookie of the Year, but he's playing really well with an offense that's begun to spread the ball pretty equally between receivers.
If Williams has the time to throw, he might have a big game. That's also an "if," because starting left tackle Braxton Jones is done for the year and there's still no clarity on if Teven Jenkins will be available Thursday. Doug Kramer missed Sunday's game and Ryan Bates was placed on injured reserve.
If he has a chance, Williams will get his receivers the ball. That's the one constant from the last few weeks in a lost season.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 22: Quarterback Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears throws the ball under pressure during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on December 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Rosen
The pass rush has chance to come alive - and it needs to
It's safe to say the Bears and Seahawks have problems with pass protection.
The Bears have allowed 60 sacks this season, which is a franchise record. Somehow, Cleveland is worse, having allowed 63 sacks this season.
Seattle is not too far behind.
The Seahawks have allowed 49 sacks this season, tied for third-most in the NFL. They've also allowed 132 total pressures and get pressured on 21.5 percent on their drop backs.
Still, it's not the wildest stat. Seattle has only been blitzed 116 times this season. That ranks 23rd among teams in the league. This tells you team are getting to Geno Smith without having to blitz him.
Seattle allowed seven sacks against the Packers in Week 15 and seven sacks against the Giants in Week 5.
Giants' premiere pass rusher Dexter Lawrence had a three-sack game and five Giants had at least a half-sack. Six Packers players had at least a sack.
Montez Sweat has been in a slump, but there's a chance he could bust out of it on Thursday.
Cole Kmet had the best perspective on Sunday
After each loss at home, Bears tight end Cole Kmet had the most telling perspective of anyone that spoke in the locker room.
Defensive back Kyler Gordon didn't have much to say. He understandably had a few one-word answers. But Kmet, a player the Bears extended and locked up for the next few years, had a raw sentence that was tough to swallow.
"It’s hard for me to be real with myself and find positives when you lose 34-17," Kmet said.
The nine-game losing streak is so much more difficult to deal with than the 14-game skid the Bears had between the 2022 and 2023 season. At least the Bears rebounded with a solid end to the 2023 season and had positives to point to.
These Bears have to wait until the season is over before trying to find positives in a season where so much has happened.