The Seattle Seahawks host the Chicago Bears in the Week 8 edition of “Monday Night Football” at Lumen Field on Monday, Nov. 2, at 8:20 p.m. ET. Seattle enters the matchup following a victory over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs that snapped a two-game skid, while Chicago aims to build on a 5-2 start after winning two straight games since quarterback Caleb Williams returned from injury.
When the Bears have the ball
According to CBS Sports Headlines, the Chicago offense has excelled with Williams on the field, scoring 59, 31, and 30 points in his three starts outside of a rain-soaked game against the Minnesota Vikings. Williams has completed 71% of his passes for an average of 8.2 yards per attempt—both career highs—while throwing five touchdowns and one interception alongside 24 rushes for 128 yards and two scores. Although his average depth of throw is just 7.0 yards according to Tru Media, he creates explosive passing plays at the league’s third-highest rate of 10.7%, bolstered by averaging 6.4 yards after catch per completion.
The Seattle defense presents a major challenge by allowing only 4.5 yards after catch per completion, ranking third-best in the NFL due to disciplined shell coverages and sound tackling in the secondary. Furthermore, while the Bears prefer a heavy 48.7% rush rate, the Seahawks excel at stopping the run, meaning D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson will face a difficult task against a defense that frequently deploys nickel and dime packages.
When the Seahawks have the ball
Seattle’s offense centers around wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 867 receiving yards, 43 receiving first downs, and eight touchdowns. Smith-Njigba has been targeted on 36.3% of the team’s pass attempts and boasts a 33.9% targets-per-route-run rate. With secondary options limited—including the absence of Rashid Shaheed—the Bears will struggle to cover Smith-Njigba and must instead focus on pressuring quarterback Sam Darnold, who leads the NFL with eight interceptions and ranks second-to-last in EPA per dropback on pressured plays.
Chicago’s pass rush receives a boost from the arrival of interior defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, though he faces a strong guard duo in Quenton Nelson and Grey Zabel and may see limited snaps in his debut. Meanwhile, the Seattle running game expects to welcome back Zach Charbonnet from an ACL tear and Jadarian Price from a chest injury, providing an upgrade over Emanuel Wilson and George Holani against a Chicago defense that surrenders 4.4 yards per carry.
Game prediction
Seattle’s defense aims to replicate its success from shutting down Kenneth Walker last week by containing D’Andre Swift and putting the pressure on Caleb Williams. With the potential return of Charbonnet and Price bolstering the ground game, CBS Sports Headlines projects a final score of Seahawks 24, Bears 20.
