Keys to the Game
Seahawks
- Jump on Chicago Early
Though not entirely necessary for Seattle to come out of Chicago with a win, scoring early would make achieving that goal much easier. This is the formula that teams have been using against the Bears all year long. In the last 4 games, opponents have outscored Chicago 40-0 in the first quarter- an insane stat. Falling into these early holes has lead to lopsided offensive playcalling, contributing to the offense’s inability to find yards on the ground.
Interestingly, the Seahawks have also dealt with 1st quarter struggles recently. In the past 4 games, they’ve been outscored 42-17 (35-0 excluding Week 14 vs. Arizona). Something will have to give tonight.
Bears
- Get Pressure with Front Seven
If Chicago is going to snap its 9 game losing streak this week on Thursday Night Football, it’s going to need to capitalize on Seattle’s main weakness: protecting QB Geno Smith. Out of all the quarterbacks in the NFL, Smith has racked up the most dropbacks under pressures this season (232) causing him to struggle greatly. While you wouldn’t necessarily expect any player to thrive in this situations, Geno grades out below-average.
Though he’s dealt with the most dropbacks under pressure, he ranks 24th in total yards thrown under pressure, and 14th in touchdowns. With so many more chances than the rest of the league’s QBs, you’d hope that Geno would at scratch the top-10 in these stats. In pressure situations Smith has a horrible touchdown to interceptions ratio of 5-13 (compare to 2023 Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: 6-3; compare to Bears QB Caleb Williams: 7-3).
Geno deals with pressure constantly, and hasn’t’ been able to figure it out. If the Bears pass rush can have a big game, Chicago could have a chance. Seattle’s defense is average to below-average, so Caleb Williams and co. should be able to muster up some points. If the defense- which ranks 15th in pressures and 7th in pressure percentage (24.9%)- can make Geno Smith uncomfortable, they will find themselves with a chance to come out on top.