3. The Bears were the rare team to move the ball fairly consistently on Seattle’s defense.
For most of this season, teams finding the end zone against the Seahawks have usually done so because they have benefited from Seahawks turnovers or because of penalties that have contributed to prolonging drives. With a few exceptions, it’s been very difficult for an offense to just sneak past Seattle’s defense without a little help.
Caleb Williams and the Bears, however, have been able to do this at a level that no other team has this season. It wasn’t a terrible performance by Seattle’s defense, which held the Bears to an average of 3.6 yards per carry, had one turnover and three three-and-outs, but it wasn’t up to Seattle’s high standards. The Bears, who gained 363 yards on the league’s best defense, went 7 of 15 on third down and had touchdown drives of 80, 69 and 56 yards, as well as one on a short field after a Seattle turnover. Williams and the offense have had the most success on intermediate routes through the middle of the field, gaining big yardage gains in a way few other teams have against Seattle’s vaunted defense.
4. DeMarcus made a big play when the Seahawks needed it.
Things looked a little bleak for the Seahawks early in the fourth quarter when, trailing 20-9, they experienced a promising stall after a rather questionable offensive pass interference call on Jaxon Smith-Njigba negated a first-down catch inside the 2-yard line. Unable to overcome this penalty, the Seahawks settled for a field goal attempt, which was blocked. However, on Chicago’s ensuing drive, veteran outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence made a big play to help the Seahawks stay in the game. With the Bears facing third-and-long thanks to a Mike Morris sack, the first of his career, Caleb Williams threw a short pass to tight end Colston Loveland, and Lawrence was able to continue the play, hit the ball, then recover the fumble. That gave the Seahawks a short field that they turned into a Kupp touchdown to make it a one-score game. And even though the Seahawks couldn’t finish the job from there, it was yet another reminder of how important a player Lawrence has been to the Seahawks since joining the team as a free agent last year.
Gn sports
