SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks' regular season concluded with a 34-17 defeat to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, a game that highlighted both the Bears' offensive emergence and the Seahawks' ongoing struggles with consistency.
Caleb Williams threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden in the first quarter, opening the scoring for Chicago. The Bears' offense, ranked among the league's most improved, moved the ball effectively against a Seattle defense that entered the night as the NFL's best. Chicago gained 363 yards of total offense and converted 7 of 15 third down attempts, with scoring drives of 80, 69, and 56 yards. One Bears touchdown came off a short field following a Seattle turnover.
Seattle's defense, which had limited opponents to a 3.6-yard-per-carry average, forced one turnover and three three-and-outs but struggled against intermediate routes over the middle of the field. The Bears' Caleb Williams and the offense had their most success finding space in the middle of the field all season against the Seahawks unit.
The Seahawks offense, missing Charles Cross due to injury, made its debut with new guard Quenton Nelson in the lineup. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price returned from injury, aiming to boost a run game that had been inconsistent. Despite the returns, Seattle committed turnovers that proved costly against a Bears team that capitalized efficiently.
Chicago improved to 7-1 on the season, while Seattle fell to 8-7. The result marks the end of a tough stretch of the Seahawks' schedule, which had included losses to San Francisco and Denver prior to this matchup. ESPN broadcast the game at 5:15 pm PT, with FOX 13 airing it in the Seattle market.
