Halloween may be behind us, but the Chicago Bears must’ve missed that with how scary they looked in Seattle.
A chilly night in the Pacific Northwest. Lumen Field. The raucous house of the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. But to these Bears, this was no challenge. It was just another Monday.
They didn’t just beat those Seahawks; they beat them by seventeen points. Before that, they had gone 30 consecutive games without losing by more than four points.
The Bears look stronger than ever, thanks in no doubt to the shot in the arm they received just a few days ago.
NUCLEAR ARMS RACE
On October 29, Chicago sent two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for All-Pro Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a fifth-round pick.
It was a move that sent shockwaves throughout the NFL, signalling that General Manager Ryan Poles was willing to go all in for these next few years. A little “F them picks” à la the Los Angeles Rams.
A steep price to pay? Absolutely. But if this team takes home the Lombardi Trophy as those Rams did in 2021, all will be worth it.
Funnily enough, the Seahawks also picked on the remains of a failing AFC South team. They traded third- and fifth-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts for All-Pro Guard Quenton Nelson just a day before.
“I can’t get away from this guy,” Nelson said to the media after learning of the Simmons trade. No, no, you cannot. You will cross paths with Simmons until the day you die.
WORTH EVERY DRAFT PICK
And on Monday Night, it was Simmons who got the better of Nelson.
Simmons swam right past the offensive line to sack Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold on one of his first snaps, and the tone was set from there.
Chicago’s defense forced five three-and-outs on the day. They also held a Seattle rushing attack with their top two running backs, Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price returning from injury, to just 81 total yards.
The real shining stars, though, were the defensive line. They got consistent pressure on Darnold all game long, notching three sacks.
They even managed to get a surprise interception after Chicago defensive end Austin Booker deflected a pass that fell right into the lap of defensive tackle James Lynch.
A pick so unexpected it fooled the cameraman, Darnold, and even Booker himself. Sometimes you don’t sprint into success. Sometimes you stumble and success just falls right into your lap. Not very good advice, but anything is possible.
The only Achilles’ heel for this Bears defense seems to be the final two minutes of the first half. For the second game in a row, they let up a late 40-plus-yard touchdown just before the midway point.
At least this week, it was a different flavor of burnt toast. Last week, it was Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson weaving through the entire defense for a score. This week, it was Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba cooking Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson like a well-done steak on a double move.
Then again, that guy cooks everybody.
Regardless, the Bears are in need of secondary help, especially with cornerback Malik Muhammad II working through a toe injury. Poles may be setting up another move before the November 10 trade deadline.
SWIFTNESS AND EFFICIENCY
Where Poles doesn’t need to make any moves is the offense. They were humming the blues all night long.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams became the first to throw for more than 200 yards on Seattle’s vaunted defense. 247 yards and a touchdown. Nothing flashy, but this team doesn’t need to be to win football games.
In contrast to Seattle’s “Screw it, Smith-Njigba’s down there somewhere” offense, Chicago prefers to spread the ball around.
Receiver Rome Odunze led the way with four grabs for 87 yards, while receiver Luther Burden III had seven for 56 yards and the lone touchdown. Tight end Colston Loveland had a similar stat line with seven catches and 65 yards, but he had a costly fumble instead of a touchdown. Even receiver Kalif Raymond took a backwards pass for a 39-yard scamper.
Everybody eats.
The real standout was running back D’Andre Swift. 27 carries for 69 yards aren’t eye-popping by any means, but three touchdowns certainly are.
With the hat trick, Swift now leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns. He may not always get the yards, but he’ll still get his fantasy points in the endzone.
AUSTIN BLOCKER
Chicago’s special teams also got their points in with several key plays.
Kicker Cairo Santos had a normal day at the office, making both of his field goals. Seattle kicker Jason Myers had the opposite experience.
He missed an extra point just before halftime and had a field goal blocked in the fourth quarter by Austin Booker. Looks like the case of the Mondays got him too.
GAME BALLS
In the locker room after the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave out three game balls.
D’Andre Swift: His second game ball of the season for picking up tough yards and scoring three touchdowns in the second half. Three is a magic number for him.
Austin Booker: His first game ball of the season for blocking a field goal and deflecting a pass that resulted in an interception.
Jeffery Simmons: His first game ball of the season for racking up six tackles and a sack in his debut for the team.
STILL UNDER THE LIGHTS
Next week, Chicago’s coming back home to Soldier Field for a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs had a disastrous 1-5 start, but have since rebounded to back-to-back convincing wins over their divisional foes, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
In the final game before the bye week, the Bears shouldn’t look past the Bucs and toward comfy rest. But if there’s one thing that’s apparent about these Chicago Bears, it’s that the brighter the lights are, the better they play.
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