The Seattle Seahawks will host the Chicago Bears on Monday, November 2 at Lumen Field in a Week 8 Monday Night Football matchup kicking off at 8:20 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC. Seattle enters on a high note after upsetting the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, while Chicago has won both games since quarterback Caleb Williams returned from injury, improving to 5-2 overall.
Seahawks defense vs. Bears offense
Chicago's offense has been prolific with Williams under center, scoring 59, 31, and 30 points in his three starts not affected by severe weather. In those games the Bears amassed 552, 368, and 405 yards with only two turnovers. For the season Williams has completed 71% of his passes at 8.2 yards per attempt, with five touchdowns against one interception, adding 24 rushes for 128 yards and two scores. His average depth of throw is 7.0 yards, yet he generates explosive plays at the third-highest rate in the league (10.7% of dropbacks), aided by 6.4 yards after catch per completion (fourth best). Seattle's defense, however, allows just 4.5 yards after catch per completion (third best) and excels at rallying and tackling in the secondary. The Bears run the ball at a 48.7% rate, but the Seahawks' run defense stifled Kenneth Walker III last week and presents a similar challenge for D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.
Bears defense vs. Seahawks offense
Seattle's offense revolves around wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 867 receiving yards, 43 receiving first downs, and eight receiving touchdowns. He commands a 36.3% target share and a 33.9% targets-per-route-run rate, both league highs. His 867 yards dwarf the combined 562 of the next three Seahawks receivers (AJ Barner, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed), and Shaheed is out for this game. The Bears lack a defender who can cover Smith-Njigba one-on-one; their best hope is pressuring quarterback Sam Darnold, who leads the NFL with eight interceptions and has completed just 26 of 66 passes under pressure for 331 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions. Chicago's acquisition of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons adds interior pressure, though he may see limited snaps in his debut. Seattle's running game could improve with the expected returns of Zach Charbonnet (ACL) and Jadarian Price (chest), upgrading over Emanuel Wilson and George Holani against a Bears run defense allowing 4.4 yards per carry (23rd).
Prediction
Seattle's defense appears to be rounding into the form expected before the season. After shutting down Walker, they should contain Swift, forcing the game onto Williams' shoulders — a difficult task against Mike Macdonald's unit. If Charbonnet and Price provide even below-average rushing efficiency, the Seahawks gain a critical dimension. The pick: Seahawks 24, Bears 20.
