The Bears (5-2) will seek their third straight win and fifth in the last six games Monday night when they visit the Seahawks (4-3) at Lumen Field in Seattle.
The NFC showdown against the defending Super Bowl champions is expected to feature the Bears' debut of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who was acquired Thursday in a blockbuster trade with the Titans.
It will also be highlighted by a matchup between the last two USC quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft, the Bears' Caleb Williams (No. 1 in 2024) and the Seahawks' Sam Darnold (No. 3 by the Jets in 2018).
It's the second of three straight prime-time contests for the Bears, who beat the Patriots 30-24 Thursday night, Oct. 22, at Soldier Field, and will return home to host the Buccaneers next Sunday night.
Last weekend, the Seahawks snapped a two-game losing streak with a dominant 20-3 home win over the Chiefs, limiting Patrick Mahomes to a 58.3 passer rating and preventing Kansas City from scoring a touchdown or even advancing into the red zone.
"We got a tough opponent here this week," said coach Ben Johnson. "It's a good team. Obviously, they won the Super Bowl last year. There's talent in all three phases. Really well coached throughout, and it will be a big challenge on the road in a hostile environment as well.
"We're going to need the best out of everybody. Going to need great coaches to come up with good game plans and play calls, and then our players, we can't beat ourselves. The last couple of weeks we've shot ourselves in the foot a little bit in the penalty front. That's not going to win us a game this week. We can't do that to ourselves. We've got to do a great job taking care of the football, and our style of play has to show up like we've been harping on for the last couple of weeks."
When the Bears have the ball
It will be strength-versus-strength Monday night in Seattle when a potent Bears offense that ranks third in the NFL in total yards per game (390.7) battles a stingy Seahawks defense that is No. 1 in yards permitted (233.9).
Williams has returned with a vengeance after missing three games with a hamstring injury, becoming the first NFL quarterback this season to pass for at least 300 yards with no interceptions in back-to-back starts.
In the past two weeks, he threw for 305 yards and one touchdown in a 31-23 win over the Falcons and 308 yards and two TDs in a 30-24 victory over the Patriots. Williams ranks second in the NFL with a 71.0 completion percentage and sixth among 33 qualified quarterbacks with a career-high 105.6 passer rating.
On Monday night, he will face a Seahawks pass defense that ranks No. 1 in the league in yards per game (144.4) and has not yielded more than 176 yards this year. Seattle is also tied for second in the NFL with 12 takeaways.
"They're relentless," Williams said. "They fly around really all up front, and in the back end they're aggressive. They take the ball away. They do it all. We're definitely looking forward to it. Just got to be on our Ps and Qs, handle our business, take what they give us and it will be good."
Since Williams returned, receiver Luther Burden III has had his two most prolific outings of the season with 95 yards on eight catches against Atlanta and 130 yards and one TD on four receptions versus New England. Tight end Colston Loveland has also excelled, compiling at least 65 yards and catching one touchdown pass in both contests after averaging 34.9 yards with no TDs in the first five games of the season.
The Bears rank No. 1 in the NFL in rushing yards per game (154.3). Running back D'Andre Swift is 11th in the league with 476 yards and seven TDs on 116 carries. On Monday night, Swift will again try to help overcome the absence of second-year back Kyle Monangai, who will miss his fourth straight game with a toe injury.
The offense will also play without veteran tight end Cole Kmet, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter against the Patriots. Rookie third-round pick Sam Roush is the "next man up" at the position.
The Bears are averaging more than 150 yards rushing and 225 yards passing, something only two NFL teams have done over the last 10 seasons: the 2020 Titans and 2024 Ravens, both of whom had Derrick Henry as their primary running back.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 36 games (including the postseason), the longest active streak in the NFL and a franchise record. In addition, Seattle is just the third team in the last 20 seasons not to permit more than 301 total yards in each of its first seven games.
The unit is led by cornerback Devon Witherspoon, tackles Byron Murphy II and Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones IV and safeties Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love.
"They do a great job affecting the quarterback, No. 1, up front," Johnson said. "They have good rushes, and they are able to affect the quarterback without having to pressure a whole lot on passing downs. When you're able to do that with just four rushers, it's really hard to get guys open with a lot of space. They are doing a phenomenal job taking away explosive plays in the passing game, and it's hard to stay on schedule consistently and march it down the field and score.
"And you combine that with the fact that it's hard for a lot of offenses to even get started. The number of three-and-outs on tape is pretty astonishing as well. It's hard to run the ball, hard to throw the ball, and it's going to take a team effort to win this one here this week."
Key matchup: Bears WR Luther Burden III vs. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon
Burden has heated up in recent weeks, displaying big-play ability and rare run-after-the-catch skills that make him a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. That was the case against the Patriots, when he caught a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage and turned it into a 24-yard highlight-reel touchdown.
The Seahawks will counter with Witherspoon, a dynamic 2023 first-round pick from Illinois who has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons and was a second-team All-Pro selection last year when he helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship.
When the Seahawks have the ball
With the acquisition of Simmons, the Bears bolstered their defense with a dominant and disruptive three-time All-Pro selection who boasts a violent play style and a non-stop motor. The 6-4, 305-pounder recorded 4.0 sacks in seven games with the Titans this season after establishing a career high with 11.0 sacks last year.
"He's a guy that forces an offense to know where he is and affects their protection, affects the run game, all those things," Johnson said. "So, we look forward to seeing the impact that he can have, not just dictating some terms to the offense but also elevating those around him as well through his play and through his leadership because those have been kind of the constants throughout his career so far."
In addition to Simmons making his Bears debut, the defense will also benefit from the return of defensive end Montez Sweat from a two-game suspension and linebacker T.J. Edwards from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the last two contests.
They'll face a Seahawks offense that is quarterbacked by Darnold, who has completed 62.1% of his passes for 1,290 yards with eight touchdowns, eight interceptions and an 80.5 passer rating that ranks 24th in the NFL. His eight interceptions are tied for the most in the league, and he has been picked off in each of the last five games, the longest streak of his nine-year career.
Darnold's top target is star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year leads the league with 867 yards and eight TDs and is second with 58 receptions. He is the first receiver in the Super Bowl era to produce at least 850 yards and eight TDs in his team's first seven games.
"He does a really good job of creating access on the line of scrimmage," Allen said. "He does a really good job of creating separation at the top of the route. What makes him exceptional is his ability with run after catch. He can take a short throw, and it's 40 or 50 yards later before somebody is finally getting him down on the ground. I think that is what makes him really special."
The Seahawks ground game will be bolstered Monday night by the return of running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price. Charbonnet will make his season debut after recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in last year's divisional playoffs. Price, a rookie first-round pick from Notre Dame, has missed the last four games with a chest injury.
Key matchup: Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons vs. Seahawks left guard Quenton Nelson
Two days before the Bears acquired Simmons, Seattle traded for Nelson, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his eight seasons with the Colts. The two familiar foes battled twice a year in the AFC South and will face off again Monday night. After Simmons was dealt to the Bears, Nelson said: "He's an amazing football player and competitor, and yeah, I was like, 'Man, can't get away from this guy.' So, yeah, it will be another battle against him this week."
