The Seattle Seahawks’ primetime matchup against the Chicago Bears on Monday night could have significant implications on the NFC playoff picture, with both teams being among the top contenders in the conference.
Seahawks injury report: Charbonnet to make season debut against Bears
And on top of that, this match is filled with intriguing storylines. Here’s a look at a few of them.
Mike Macdonald vs. Ben Johnson
With Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald on one side and Bears head coach Ben Johnson on the other, this will be a matchup between two of the best players in the NFL. Macdonald is the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as the primary defender of his team’s defensive play, while Johnson is considered one of the best offensive minds in the league.
In fact, the Seahawks reportedly interviewed Johnson twice in January 2024 before he opted to remain the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions for one more season. Seattle ultimately landed Macdonald, who guided the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title in his second season at the helm.
Johnson, meanwhile, was named Chicago’s head coach in January 2025 and guided the Bears to an 11-6 record and an NFC North title last season, which marked a major step up from Chicago’s 5-12 campaign in 2024. The Bears are off to a 5-2 start this fall.
This will be the third time Macdonald and Johnson have faced off as opposing players. In 2023, Macdonald scored in a 38-6 Ravens win over the Lions. At the start of the 2024 season, Johnson returned the favor in a Lions 42-29 victory over the Seahawks.
Caleb Williams against the “dark side”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams missed three games earlier this season with a hamstring injury, but he has been one of the league’s best signal-callers when healthy.
Among qualified quarterbacks, Williams ranks second in ESPN’s QBR metric, second in completion rate (71%) and fourth in years per pass attempt (8.2). And in each of the three complete games he played, Chicago scored more than 30 points.
Meanwhile, Seattle’s “dark side” defense has been more dominant than ever, especially after holding Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes to one of the worst performances of his career last week.
The Seahawks have allowed a season-low 3.99 yards per play, making them the fourth defense since 2000 to give up fewer than 4.0 yards per play through the first seven games, according to Stathead. Seattle’s pass defense has been particularly stifling, giving up a minimum of 5.2 yards per pass attempt, which is almost a yard better than any other team.
Williams’ only game against the Seahawks did not go well, with Seattle sacking him seven times during a 6-3 victory in Week 17 of 2024. However, that happened during Williams’ rocky rookie season and before Johnson took over as Chicago’s head coach.
It was almost the NFC title game
The Bears were almost the Seahawks’ opponent in the NFC Championship Game last January.
In the NFC Divisional Round the previous week, the Bears took the Los Angeles Rams to overtime on Williams’ miraculous, backpedaling, game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation. And in overtime, the Bears shut down their defense and were getting closer to the basket.
However, Williams then threw a costly interception and the Rams drove down the field for a game-winning field goal, which sent them to Seattle for the NFC title game.
Quenton Williams vs. Jeffery Simmons
The Seahawks and Bears each completed a blockbuster trade last week. Seattle acquired three-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts, while Chicago acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans. And on Monday night, the two perennial Pro Bowlers will line up against each other in the trenches as they debut with their new teams.
Nelson and Simmons – two of the best players in the NFL at their respective positions – already know each other very well from their time in the AFC South. They have faced each other 13 times since 2019, including just two weeks ago in the Titans’ win over the Colts.
“I was like, man, I can’t escape this guy,” Nelson joked when asked for his reaction to the Bears’ move to Simmons.
It’s not often that a matchup between an interior offensive lineman and a defensive tackle takes center stage, but that seemed to be the case Monday night.
Seattle Seahawks News and More
• Big Ray: Quenton Nelson changes “the temperature” for the Seattle Seahawks
• Salk: After a blockbuster trade, should the Seahawks make another move?
• Macdonald reveals how Seahawks will mix up OL after Quenton Nelson trade
Gn sports
