The Chicago Bears will take the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8 on Monday Night Football.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s team is coming off back-to-back wins, and his offense, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, has scored 61 points in the last two weeks. Despite Williams missing three games with a hamstring injury, the third-year quarterback has looked efficient, decisive, and accurate against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 and, most recently, against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
The Seahawks present an entirely new challenge under head coach Mike Macdonald. Although he lost pieces of his Super Bowl-winning defense last season, the unit remains one of the best in the NFL.
In Seattle’s 20-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 7, the Seahawks kept Kansas City out of the red zone. That has never happened in an NFL game since quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the field (153 starts). Running back Kenneth Walker III managed just 36 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Macdonald put Chiefs coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs’ offense in a vice grip and never let go. But Reid is not the only one who has fallen victim to the Seahawks’ defense. According to ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson, Seattle is the first team since the 1984 Browns to hold their first seven opponents under 180 passing yards.
That speaks to the challenge that waits for the Bears at Lumen Field on Monday night.
Can Ben Johnson outwit Mike Macdonald in Bears-Seahawks Week 8 showdown?
Here’s what the Seahawks’ defense has done to two of the NFL's top offensive play-callers in back-to-back weeks.
The Broncos defeated the Seahawks 17-14 in overtime. However, in that game, head coach Sean Payton’s offense was held to 2.9 yards per play, the lowest mark in his head-coaching career, which spans 319 games, according to CBS Sports’ Doug Clawson.
Reid’s offense failed to record an explosive play, a 10+ yard run, or a 20+ yard reception. That has never happened in 488 games Reid has coached.
There’s a high chance that if Johnson’s offense ends up with either of those stats when the game is over next Monday night, the Bears will likely leave Seattle with a loss. Williams must find ways to create explosive plays and keep the offense generating positive gains against a stingy defense.
Read more: Caleb Williams' Week 7 performance displayed growth in trait Bears fans noticed
If the Bears want to prove they can make a deep playoff run, they have to find ways to beat talented teams like the Seahawks. A victory next Monday night would announce Chicago as a legitimate contender, not just in the NFC, but across the entire NFL
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