Note: This is a guest post by Curtis Allen and the latest piece in a weekly series. Curtis looks at the Seahawks and their opponents and discusses key factors.
At 5-9 the Seahawks find themselves in a very difficult place. Playing for pride — and without any sparkle of hope for the playoffs or that a top-five draft pick next year can help turn the franchise around.
Hosting an awful Bears team Sunday that stands only one game worse than Seattle at 4-10 underscores that fact. As does the fact that all of us are feeling the same way about this game as we did in Week Eight when they faced off with the pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars: a victory Sunday cannot be assumed. It has to be earned.
The Bears are in no way playing complementary football. They might have the worst offense in the NFL.
Defensively, they stand as a mirror-opposite of the Seahawks’ defense. They are conceding the fourth-fewest passing yards in the NFL, yet they stand 24th in the NFL in points allowed.
This game should be an easy win for the Seahawks but nothing has come easy this year. How can they pick up a victory this week?
Start quickly in order to control the game
Chicago is the worst team in the NFL in first quarter scoring. They have only scored three touchdowns and thirty total points in the first quarter all season.
But it gets even worse when you look at the Bears’ first quarter scoring on the road. They have scored six points all season on the road in the first quarter.
How about on defense? The news is not any better there.
They are the next-to-last team in the NFL in road points conceded in the first quarter, with forty-eight points allowed.
Their quarterback play in the first quarter is especially putrid. Between Justin Fields and Andy Dalton they have one touchdown pass, six interceptions, have been sacked six times and have a 56.7 QB Rating in the first quarter. They would be better served just handing the ball off to David Montgomery for the entire quarter at this point – he is providing 5.0 yards per carry in the first quarter.
How are the Seahawks doing by comparison? Right in the middle of the pack: 14th overall in the NFL in both offense and defense in first quarter scoring. Where the Bears have scored only thirty first-quarter points all season, the Seahawks have scored twenty-four points in just their last four games.
Starting well is imperative if the Seahawks want to control this game. Teams that easily handle Chicago get out to a lead and then avoid their deadly pass rush by grinding the clock with their running game and then pin their ears back and get after the quarterback on defense.
Starting well may be a tough ask, with the Seahawks afforded no extra recovery time after playing on Tuesday night. It also appears that Sunday will be unusually cold and there likely will be some snow showers that may mean the first quarter is spent adjusting to the field conditions.
It would do everyone a world of good to see this team come out of the gate and lead the game 14-0 at the end of the first quarter though.
To do it they will have to handle a very good pass rush…
Do not allow the Bears’ pass rush to control the game
First the bad news…
The Bears are tied for third in the NFL for team sacks with forty. This despite facing the least amount of pass attempts in the league – which means they are incredibly efficient, leading the NFL in sack percentage, collecting a sack on 8.8% of pass attempts.
They are headlined by a major return to form by Robert Quinn. He has sixteen sacks, to go with sixteen tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and seventeen quarterback hits in thirteen games this year.
What is even more impressive, Quinn has actually gotten better since Khalil Mack was lost for the season with a foot injury. Ten and a half of his sacks have come without his partner in crime soaking up attention from the other side.
Here are some highlights. Watch him abusing left tackles time and again…
Robert Quinn has been sacking EVERYBODY!
✅ Stafford
✅ Burrow
✅ Baker
✅ Goff
✅ Rodgers
✅ Roethlisberger
✅ Huntley
✅ Kyler
🔜 Cousinspic.twitter.com/xEEyYvRJwg— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 20, 2021
He certainly seems to be recovered from the nerve damage in his foot that held him back so badly last year. Just ask Tyler Hundley – Quinn ran him down twice in that highlights clip.
Akiem Hicks got in on the action Sunday against the Vikings with two sacks from the interior:
.@The_Dream99 breaks through for the big sack! 👊 #MINvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/13DFXXmKA1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 21, 2021
Second sack of the night for @The_Dream99.#MINvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/sRDtxoqFs4
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 21, 2021
Duane Brown and the interior offensive linemen will have their hands full on Sunday trying to keep this line in check.
Russell Wilson has been sacked an average of three times per game so far in 2021. Holding the Bears without a sack would be fantastic but three sacks in this game is an acceptable benchmark.
I promised you good news. It comes in three parts.
First: Oddly enough, the Bears are one of the worst teams in the NFL in pressure rate. They pressure the quarterback on only 21.3% of dropbacks, just slightly worse than the Seahawks’ 21.4%. They also have the lowest number of quarterback knockdowns in the NFL by a healthy margin, with only twenty-one.
What does this mean? Quinn and the Bears are great finishers. When they get a hand on the quarterback, they bring him down. But it also means that their pass rush is feast or famine. If they do not sack the quarterback, he is relatively unbothered and free to make his throws. The Seahawks should not radically restrict their passing game due to the fear of the pass rush.
Secondly, the defensive backfield is a bit of a mess. They have been ravaged by overall poor play, and their depth has taken a hit, losing players to COVID. They are 29th in the NFL in touchdown passes conceded, and they only have four interceptions, good for next to last in the NFL for the position group. Their most frequently targeted defensive backs are conceding a passer rating well over 100. They have been shredded. D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddy Swain and Dee Eskridge should have a very good day Sunday.
Thirdly, the offense cannot take advantage when the pass rush creates a turnover or stops a drive. It is bad and frustrating when a drive gets killed by a sack but it does not turn the game upside down. Example — Quinn strip-sacked Kirk Cousins on Sunday and the Vikings recovered the fumble but had a third and long. Cousins, pressured, threw an interception. The Bears three-and-outed and missed a field goal try for no points. This is not an uncommon occurrence.
Win the turnover battle
The Bears are 30th in the NFL with a -13 turnover differential, and 30th in both takeaways (with twelve) and giveaways (with an incredible twenty-five).
So in other words, on average they have lost the turnover margin in every game this year.
The Bears are headed for a turbulent offseason with major changes. The biggest way the Seahawks can turn this game into a cakewalk is by literally taking the ball away from the Bears and not giving it back.
Get the young players some reps
The Seahawks are in that major grey area, caught between playing for pride and logically needing to get some young players on the field to get some valuable NFL experience for 2022.
Colby Parkinson is the only contracted tight end for 2022 as of this moment. He has played a grand total of 109 snaps so far this season and has only been targeted for three passes. The team needs to know what they have in him if they are to make some wise decisions this offseason.
Dee Eskridge is quickly heading towards 2021 being a lost season. Can the Seahawks find some plays for him to get him more integrated into the offense?
Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson are key future pieces of the Seahawks’ defensive line. Homegrown, drafted talents that may be able to provide cost-effective play for the Seahawks for the next two seasons – something the team desperately needs. They need reps in order to develop.
What about wavier claims Nigel Warrior and Dakoda Shepley? Can the Seahawks get a look at these players and see if they have a place on the 2022 roster?
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Thanks for the analysis cha. Outstanding as always. Weather ought to be interesting today to say the least.
Oh, and Pete just called and said “we’re working on getting Alton more snaps”.
Well done.
I do hope the Seahawks start playing the younger players. There really is no reason for say, Bobby Wagner, to play 100 percent of the snaps.
Same with Lockett. I get the sense that msny of us look at him as the season’s mvp. I get the sense he’s the kind of player that doesn’t believe in “checking out.”
But limit his snaps. Get eskridge out there or other passing combos with say parkinson.
I’d definitely give Tyler the Offensive MVP and while it’s really difficult not to choose the peacock, either Diggs or Taylor for the defense.
Diggs for sure along with Tyler. I do hope the give Eskridge some opportunities today. I’d love to see what he can really do, along with Parkinson.
Pluck the Peacock!
Diggs. For defense. Really hope they can retain him. Could get ugly with him pointingvout the obvious.
Taylor. Really glad to see him come along.
It would be really stupid to let Diggs go because of Adams. He was our best player in the defense this year. I also liked Al Woods but Diggs was on a different level.
The goal for today should be a TD for Metcalf to calm the storm there and to finish with no injuries.
The stupidity was the Adams trade period, & it will likely cost us Diggs.
He’s likely priced himself out of here. We’ve learned you can’t have your money invested heavily @ safety & LB.
If we’re going to get better, it has to be in the trenches. Wagner at 20M doesn’t fit; & unfortunately we can’t afford two high priced safeties.
We’ll likely have to hope the safety market is saturated and we get lucky with diggs or someone else taking less than expected.
Adams trade just continues to cause pain.
Adams trade will reverberate painfully through this franchise for a good 5 years based on lost draft picks, wasted salary that could’ve been spent elsewhere, loss of quality players like Diggs, etc.
Keep in mind though we are looking at these things through the lens of a PC/JS management team.
There are many great possibilities if a new management group is put in place this offseason.
The coaches can better utilize Adams to get *some* value back in their investment.
They also can find ways to actually make other expensive signings successful (Greg Olsen, for example), and actually using their successful young draft picks instead of burying them on the depth chart behind go-nowhere veterans.
The management team can choose to step into the 21st century with their cap management. They could resign Diggs and make it less painful in 2022/2023. If they get RW on board, they can extend him, lower his cap hit and quickly rebuild with some aggressive, smart moves.
We can only hope. I’m more pessimistic than my normal Eeyore self that we’ll have new mgmt./HC.
From your mouth to Jody’s ears. I sure hope it works out that way.
Thanks for the write up, cha. Losing to the Rams stunk because this is now the first game in a long time that has zero playoff implications for us. I’m impressed that you found a way to do this write up.
Thanks again…
For anyone interested:
Feldman’s “Freak list” for 2022 class, (it’s top 100 this year) – A list of 100 players this year, including several prospects the Seahawks may want to look at closely.
https://purplepainforums.com/thread/4845/feldmans-2021-freaks-reference-draft
Jets might actually pull it off…
Nasty weather in Seattle.
Trade Metcalf
I suggest waiting till he actually has a good game.
How about at least when he makes a slightly difficult catch?
Like his first target that was low knee level
Instead of trading DK, how about we actually start using him as a weapon in our offense.
Perfect throw and he actually caught the pass
In the words of Madden…Boom! TD!
With his body lol
The game plan should be run run run…. deep pass. Worked great on that drive
Mission accomplished, now throw a couple more of those.
See that’s the thing right there. That’s when it’s OK to go deep on 3rd and short. Your guy has whipped his coverage. Not when he is triple covered.
That’s the Russ deep throw we’re used to seeing. He missed the same basic throw though to the left last week
Although Jones just got destroyed I like the effort balls he had to go head to head with Montgomery
Wagner got used by Montgomery and now misses a tackle that costs the D a chance to get off the field
Unfortunately Amadi with another proof he isn’t good enough.
Bend don’t break. I’ll take it…this time.
15 plays 8:27. And the first play on offense is to plunge Rashaad Penny into the pile.
This sequence is so 2021 it hurts.
Sigh
And ends as expected…double sigh
A short play with nothing to gain for Metcalf and a false start, then a hopeless Russ throw deep.
I was wrong. It CAN get more 2021.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…
Well said both of you
Least we didn’t give up a safety…
Ooh, 13 yd net
Well, Jets and Texans both get it done…
Jax just about locked into the first overall pick
Is eskridge hurt again?
Or hart/swain taking his snaps
I’m not sure.
And I’m not sure which of those options is worse.
Looks like option #2 is the answer
might as well let stone play LT Brown has definitely lost a step
Curhan decent at RT too. Would be good to get Stone some snaps
Loved that play to Parkinson, Russ just threw it a bit behind him.
Gimme more of that.
Wow, a sustained TD drive. Collector’s item for this year’s Seahawks.
I love you Bobby, you’re a first ballot HOFer and a true seahawk legend.
Please retire, you’re beginning to embarrass yourself
He just *refuses* to attack the ball carrier.
Yep. Guessing he knows he’ll get jocked like Montgomery did to him earlier. He knows he’s lost 3/4 of a step.
It’s sad, really.
maybe let Brooks try at mlb, its going to be his job
To many 3rd and longs given up for 1st downs. But the twitterverse blame the offense. I hate bend but don’t break.
The Seahawks stop them and are just letting the clock run ????
They have two time outs.
This is idiocy.
That’s just part of the equation of being outcoached
That’s the way you end the half. Settling for a FG with a timeout in your pocket.
45 seconds off the clock because Carroll refused to use the time out. Please just go away Pete
Put some points on the scoreboard now.
You throw the 5050 ball to DK Russ, not to a 5′ 9″ Eskridge
Signing off for tonight, guys. Go Hawks, just because.
Had enough, huh! Sleep well my friend!
So Pete told the Fox sideline reporter ‘the Bears were lucky they even *saw* the end zone.’
What does that mean? I genuinely am curious. What does that mean??
Cocky Pete is back, baby!
Hey Pete, you’re 5-9. Really?
Shut up, Pete
Inclimate weather can reduce visibility greatly?
Real talk.
In a game w/o meaning pull Wilson at the end of the quarter?
It’s terrible series for Wilson there. Poor choice to throw into double coverage and then a ball that even a guy’s tallest DK can’t catch
And to make it worse it was a waste of good field position
Go for it on 4th and 4. There’s literally nothing to lose.
4th and 4 from the Chicago 43 and you don’t go for it?
You’re all hot air when talking about your defense Pete.
I know right? Be ballsy and go for stacking points.
He knows we don’t make these short yards, so better punt.
But, but we still have a mathematical chance at the playoffs.
Pathetic
Are we sure Russ isn’t the issue? His passing just seems incredibly off. I cant blame the play call, blocking, or defensive scheme for some abysmally off target throws to wide open receivers. Or some poor decisions to double coverage when there were open receivers elsewhere.
Define ‘the issue’.
Is he one big reason why the offense is currently crap? Yes. He isn’t right since the finger and needs a proper off-season to heal.
Is he the reason why this entire franchise needs massive change? No.
Btw at the expense of taking up your side on injuries, I broke my top thumb bone on my non dominant hand at my work and it took what felt like months just to properly grip tools, lumber, etc. If it had been my dominant hand i have no idea how i would have used tools using a modufied “crab,” pincher grip.
Ok, well I’m not gonna say any one factor is the sole reason for the slump. Team building and roster decisions are certainly another major factor.
He just seems to be figured out by the league for a over a year now.
It could very well be russ. Maybe he has the yips. Unfortunately this team still went 1-2 with geno and didn’t plsy any one good then either. Unfortunately we are a few weeks away from probably finding out.
Russ seems to always be panicky on 3rd down
I think they found the end zone, Pete.
Saw it too. It was under his feet. 😞
But that was one of those lucky drives where, you know, they moved the ball and scored
😀
They were lucky.
I don’t mind talking trash, but do it like Sherman, back it up, not just talk. The Bears look like a team to crush and we could even lose this.
That sums up one if my gripes about the peacock
🦚
This is why on 4th and 4 on the 43 you go for it. This “nothing special,” defense is good for too many easy marches down the field whether you convert or don’t.
Pretty happy with Everett I wouldn’t mind if he resigns.
Just needs an OC to use TEs better. But yes, I’d like him to stay.
One thing i have always enjoyed about russ is he’s willing to let a bad game or bad mlment just disappear.
Everett does add something for sure.
Still having a hard time with math. On paper Chicago has four wins so we should crsh them in a normal year. Then i remember five wins is about as much better overall as the difference between Adams on the field or not….which is to say none.
🦚 🦚 🦚
Peacock emojis….now that is something new
Yeah it autofilled on my phone. Love it
The announcers are terrible
It’s not really a Seahawks football game until you see Mayowa get beat in coverage across the middle or in the flat.
So…..has Penny been playing for a new contract these last few games? Where has this guy been? Besides the trainers room getting looked over.
Gotta be what’s happening
8 yds a carry agaibst HOU and +6 a carry today….sure could have used some of that when seattle had four straight games rushing under 80 yards. Or that 34 team total yard game about a month back.
I’m loving Pete’s bend and then break defense. It’s the cutting edge defense in the nfl.
Well he is a defensive guru don’t you know
I mean who else would have been genius enough to give up 2 firsts, a third a player for a box safety and then pay him 17.5 per?
Lol,yes it’s on full display for everyone to see
Hopefully Jodi Allen sees it
I don’t like being bitter, but where was Dunlap in the first 12 games?
Collecting paychecks, living off last seasons play.
he is finally getting some reps
Bullshit spot and they’ll say they couldn’t see anything so it’ll stand
He doesn’t fit the bend and break defense so you got to limit his snaps
Don’t know if there’s a clear enough view to reverse the call but this is a worthy challenge anyway.
It’s hard to win those challenges
I just don’t see how the NFL cannot be utterly embarrassed by the weekly fiasco that is their officiating. They obviously don’t give a crap
Why does Benson Mayowa signaling fourth down AFTER the fourth down play is over give me a chuckle?
Why does Ifedi’s poor play do the same for me?
I hate how Pete throws timeouts away
My, if that’s not our old friend Ifedi…
It’s nice to see an o-line worse than ours for a change
It’s remarkable that neither team has a fumble yet.
No jinx!
Seattle is barely beating a very bad team starting their third string QB. This is not a good team. Our coaching staff has assembled a poor team, then coached them to be something even less than the sun of their parts.
It’s time for Carrol and Norton to retire. Schneider needs to be demoted out of town, and the only coach who should be retained is Izzo, the ST coach.
Ogletree: 15 yards for flopping
“They might have flagged him for the acting job”
Now THAT was funny
“Only 3 man route”
Wilson’s fault
Russ and Myers… typical.
Unbelievable. Myers is unreliable.
Terrible decision to hold the ball by wilson
Imagine if the Seahawks were playing an even marginally talented team.
Didnt we just see that scenario 5 days ago?
I wonder how many of Bobby’s tackles are beyond 5 yds this year?
60% maybe?
Hawks doing there best to up the comp pick value of rashaad and rasheem. Lol.
That’s called going to the well one too many times Shane Waldron
Jason meters scares me beyond 30 yds
Dont you mean 30 meters?
And the one time the Seahawks SHOULD call a RB draw on third and one and they don’t.
I love the playing not to lose approach Pete.
Time for the D to do their paper mache’ impression?
You know Pete is loving this game
This is it. We’re watching the Seattle Seahawks implode right before our eyes.
Jets loving it
Come on we’re doing our best to lose this game?
They are determined to lose this game. Damn hawks
We’re just giving them free yards
We’re gonna have to hope Dunlap has one of his clutch game saving sacks
Nice call Chris.
Well maybe they will score so fast we will get to see Myers miss the game winning field goal
If we are rooting for teams to have better records than the Giants…shouldnt we want the Bears to win this game?
It’s just so hard to root for the hawks to lose even though it would be for the best
Not if they trade Wilson to the Giants for the Giants’ and Chicago’s first round picks. In that event, they want Chicago to lose as many games as possible.
Ah…I didnt realize they had the bears native pick
You are inside their 20, a field goal makes it a 2 score game and probably puts it on ice, you know our field goal kicker has been lousy this year, so why not call pass play so your qb could be sacked and make it much harder for the kicker.
Damn, not Jimmy…
I’m sure glad wasted that timeout on a stupid challenge
More losses mean better chance of Pete Carroll not coming back
Who wants to bet the game ends with a RW sack?
After a false start after a timeout for the trifecta.
They’d have to get a first down for that
The bell tolls for thee Pete.
Nail in the coffin. This season has been the worst.
Please announce your retiring this week Pete
Oh dear.
How embarrassing to lose at home to the bears to a 3rd string qb
Better to get it over as soon as.
Gawd this team sucks!
I hope Wilson’s still struggling because of his finger, because he sucks lately
See ya Pete.
I wish! I just don’t see ego Pete giving it up as much as Rob wants to believe it.
Think pete is gonna want to rebuild this mess he made?
I just see Pete in total denial…still. Just can’t wrap his mind around it.
Such a depressing year. I can’t believe how bad we got.
LOL, against a 4-10 (now 5-10) team 🤦♂️
Wow – what a way to go.
I’d buy Art Thiel a whiskey sour if he repeated his question about how Pete feels about his status.
Still battling
Can’t convert on third down even when the rb has a hot hand.
Can’t stop the other team on third down.
If loss makes Pete go away all happy
I hate to say it , but whether it’s his finger or not Russ hasn’t played nearly good enough. So much so that I would trade him if he has any value left.
Maybe you’re right.
Or maybe…..russ is mortal and has had a very average year and this “top five,” defense just gave up 25 points
Time to strip this team down to the bone.
The game could have been won with 5 minutes to go had they just run the ball on 3rd down instead of trying a pass. Of course the ensuing sack made it harder for a field goal kicker that has been erratic all year. To me that shows the coaching staff not having a grasp on reality and really wanting to win a game.
This game should result in Pete Carroll being relieved of duties. This was a criminally managed game. Why wait? It’s not going to get better. Let Clint Hurtt step in as HC for a few games, then fire everyone but Izzo.
after its all said and done, the d still has issues tackling smdh