The Chicago Bears matched the longest single-season losing streak in franchise history with a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
Quarterback Caleb Williams had a chance to lead the Bears (4-12) to their first victory since Oct. 13 in the final two minutes. But on fourth-and-10 from the Seahawks 40-yard line, Williams threw an interception under heavy pressure to Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen — Williams’ first pick in 10 games.
The loss was the Bears’ 10th straight, which equals their 10 straight losses to end the 2022 season. They lost four more to start the 2023 season for a 14-game skid. Matt Eberflus was the coach for both streaks, though the Bears fired him six games into the current streak and named Thomas Brown interim coach.
Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and the interception. He was sacked seven times for 46 yards lost. He took losses of 10, 14 and 8 yards in the second half.
The Bears got the ball at their 11-yard line with 5 minutes, 12 seconds to play. On fourth-and-1 at the Bears 39, left guard Jake Curhan — filling in for injured starter Teven Jenkins — was flagged for a false start.
The Bears first sent in their punt team, then called a timeout. On fourth-and-5, three Seahawks defenders chased Williams, but he got off an off-balance pass to DJ Moore, who made the catch for a 14-yard gain.
On third-and-14 later in the drive, Williams hit Rome Odunze for a 15-yard gain. The Bears then had to burn a timeout after a Williams incompletion because they weren’t going to get the snap off in time.
Williams threw incompletions on the next two plays, giving the Bears fourth-and-10 at the 40. Under heavy pressure, Williams launched the ball toward wide receiver Keenan Allen, but Woolen grabbed it.
It was the second time during the losing streak that the Bears scored only three points, the other coming against the New England Patriots. Their only points came on Cairo Santos’ 42-yard field goal in the second quarter.
After the teams failed to score a touchdown in the first half and the Seahawks (9-7) led 6-3 at halftime, both went scoreless in the second half.
The Bears got to celebrate a touchdown — briefly.
Late in the third quarter, nickel back Kyler Gordon stripped Seahawks tight end Pharoah Brown of the football and recovered it. Gordon ran untouched 62 yards to the end zone, and officials initially ruled it a touchdown. But upon review Gordon was ruled down by contact.
The Bears got the ball but failed to capitalize. Williams took a 14-yard sack when two defenders rushed past left tackle Larry Borom, and the Bears couldn’t recover.
The game ended amid chants of “Sell the team” by Bears fans at Soldier Field..
Here’s how the game unfolded.
Inactives: Gervon Dexter returns to Bears defensive line, but Zacch Pickens inactive
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter will return to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 8 when the Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
Dexter missed the last two games with a knee injury and was limited all week in practice but is good to go. However, fellow second-year defensive tackle Zacch Pickens is a surprise inactive.
Guard/center Doug Kramer, who was dealing with a shoulder injury, and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who had a hip injury, are active.
The Bears previously declared out left guard Teven Jenkins, who has a calf injury. And they will be without starting left tackle Braxton Jones, who went on injured reserve with a broken ankle this week.
The Bears on Wednesday also declared out running back Travis Homer, safety Elijah Hicks and defensive back Tarvarius Moore. Linebacker Noah Sewell is also inactive.
For the Seahawks, cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, tight end Brady Russell, linebacker Patrick O’Connell, offensive tackle Michael Jerrell, wide receiver Cody White and quarterback Jaren Hall are inactive.
Halftime: Seahawks lead Bears 6-3 in battle of field goals
The Bears and Seahawks went through the first half of “Thursday Night Football” without scoring a touchdown at Soldier Field.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers made field goals of 27 and 50 yards for a 6-3 Seattle lead. Cairo Santos made a 42-yarder for the Bears’ only points.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 7 of 13 passes for 82 yards and took two sacks. The Bears had 27 rushing yards.
The Seahawks rushed for 91 yards, and quarterback Geno Smith threw for 97 yards and was sacked twice.
Myers’ 27-yard field goal came on the opening drive. Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds nearly had an interception on third-and-3 at the 9-yard line, but the ball popped out. The Seahawks rushed for 53 yards on the drive.
The teams traded punts over the next six drives before the Bears finally broke through. They put together their best drive of the half late in the second quarter despite getting backed up to their 2-yard line.
Williams’ 24-yard screen pass to D’Andre Swift got the Bears going, and Williams also had an 18-yarder to DJ Moore. The Bears got to the Seahawks 17, but Jake Curhan’s holding penalty wiped out Williams’ touchdown pass to Rome Odunze.
The Bears settled for Santos’ field goal and a 3-3 tie with 2:32 to play.
Bears defensive end Jacob Martin deflected a Smith pass on third-and-5 at the Bears 32 on the ensuing Seahawks drive, and Myers made the 50-yarder for the three-point halftime lead.
Catch up on all of our coverage.
5 things to watch — plus our predictions
Despite a dismal couple of months for the Bears, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has had some strong moments, including as he threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 16.
That outing upped his season total to 3,271 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, bringing him just 568 yards from breaking the Bears single-season passing record with two games to go. He already has the best rookie season in franchise history and is sixth on the Bears all-time list.
The Lions game also was Williams’ ninth straight without throwing an interception, an NFL rookie record, and his 326 pass attempts without an interception is the sixth-longest single-season stretch in NFL history, according to the Bears.
Thursday’s game is another chance to build on his numbers against a Seahawks defense that is middle-of-the-road in most categories, though it does rank 12th in third-down and red-zone percentages. Read more here.
Bears’ new offensive line poster: ‘Help wanted’
Left tackle Braxton Jones becomes the third Bears offensive lineman to finish the season on injured reserve in a year when almost anything that can go wrong in the trenches has.
Twelve linemen have played. Nine have started, and that number is expected to reach 10 with left guard Teven Jenkins ruled out with a calf injury for Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field. Jake Curhan will likely replace him.
It’s just the latest dilemma for the organization, which had more depth and flexibility when the year began. All of it has been tested. Much of it has failed or been injured. It has removed suspense from offseason planning.
What should the Bears do? Shop for offensive linemen. Then go find more of them. Read more here.
Where did it all go wrong?
Who would have ever imagined the Bears would be here on Christmas morning, with nary a football present and a dark lump of something beneath a scraggly tree that looks like it belongs on Mount Crumpit.
This, certainly, wasn’t what was promised. This wasn’t what anyone was imagining back in the summer when the “Hard Knocks” hype was peaking, when all the growing optimism felt justified, when general manager Ryan Poles was touting the leadership style of his head coach and the depth of the offensive line he built.
Back then, the positive energy inside Halas Hall and all around Chicago was infectious. Visions of meaningful football being played around the Christmas holiday were everywhere. The playoffs felt like a possibility.
Turns out that was all flimsy, hope-filled delusion. Read more here.
About Week 16
The Bears got their slow-starting offense rolling in the first half — they had 225 yards and 14 points — but Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Detroit Lions was never really close, not after two early turnovers and a slew of penalties and not against the high-octane Lions offense.
The result was the ninth consecutive Bears loss — the second-longest single-season losing streak in team history — and it dropped them to 4-11. It’s a lot more of the same as the team struggles to the finish line with interim coach Thomas Brown. Read more here.
