In the race for the NFC crown, the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks each took big swings this week to shore themselves up for the second half of the season.
The Bears obviously made the huge trade for Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans, while the Seahawks landed Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts.
Now the Bears and Seahawks face off on Monday Night Football with a lot at stake.
These two teams play in the two best divisions in the conference. The Seahawks are the defending Super
Bowl champions. Their record may be 4-3, but they’re hitting their stride, coming off a 20-3 beatdown of the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
This game should be a great Monday night game, truly a playoff-type atmosphere.
The Bears are eager to show they’re ready to hang with the NFL’s best. The Seahawks want to show they haven’t fallen off from their Super Bowl run.
So we got our crew to weigh in on what it’s going to take for the Bears to go to one of the toughest stadiums in the NFL and come back with the W.
Sam: The biggest defensive test since the Vikings game looms for Caleb and Ben as they go on the road to one of the toughest and loudest stadiums in the league to play in. The Bears will have to take what the defense gives them and grind out long drives to keep JSN off the field. On defense — pressure Sam Darnold and double, heck, triple JSN if you have to. Thieneman over the top, please.
Josh: Caleb needs to level up and display all of his powers, ranging from sack avoidance to completion percentage to explosive plays. Monangai is likely out, and the run game is not as powerful. Defense is just going to have to mitigate damage. Ben needs to be smart and tricky at the same time.
Jeff Berckes: The Seahawks have the best defense by DVOA. The Bears counter with one of the best offenses in the league with Caleb Williams under center. Best on best in a hostile environment – Ben Johnson needs to use that extra rest to his advantage with a game plan that gets the running game back on track to maximize play action. On the other side of the ball… make someone other than JSN beat you. He’s the best receiver in the league and the corners have been rough all year – special attention to him every single play.
Mongo Peanut: The Bears have to contain JSN. He’s the lone offensive weapon that can beat you on a Seattle team still trying to figure out their running game. You won’t keep JSN from catching the ball, but you have to keep him from turning 10-yard catches into 40-yard house calls.
ECD: Offense: Keep as balanced as possible and stay ahead of the chains. It’ll be a classic “immovable object vs unstoppable force” matchup that’ll require strict discipline and situational awareness.
Defense: Do… something. At least bracket JSN as much as possible and find a way to rattle Sam Darnold’s cage. This unit has to play much better on the road than they have in previous weeks.
P.S. Let’s wrap up that trade for a defensive difference-maker soon. (Editor’s note: This piece was mostly written before Thursday’s big trade!)
Special Teams: Let Zavion Thomas cook. He’s recording longer kick returns each week as he gets more opportunities. And keep the FG attempts to a minimum – Seattle is a notorious place to attempt long-range kicks.
What are your keys to the game?
