U Seattle Seahawksled by quarterback Gene Smithface u Chicago Bearsled by quarterback Caleb Williamsin a Week 17 NFL game on Thursday, December 26, 2024 (12/26/24) at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
How to watch: The game can be streamed Amazon Prime via a free trial.
Here’s what you need to know:
What you do: NFL Week 17
WHO: Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears
By the time: Thursday, December 26, 2024 (12/26/24)
where: Soldier camp
The time: 20:15
TV: The game will be broadcast on local channels
Live stream: Amazon Prime
Bears vs. Seahawks AP Preview:
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) – Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks need a win to help keep their flickering playoff hopes from being extinguished.
Caleb Williams and the Bears need a win to end their long losing streak.
The Seahawks will try to regroup and stay in the playoff hunt when they visit struggling Chicago on Thursday night.
Seattle (8-7), coming off back-to-back losses, trails the NFC West Los Angeles Rams (9-6) by one game with two to play. The Seahawks were in control of their postseason destiny before Minnesota beat them 27-24 last week.
“Fate is out of our hands now. That’s punishing,” said coach Mike Macdonald. “But we’ve got a lot to play for, still. We’re going to keep hammering until this thing breaks. I think it’s right there. We want to be ready when that happens. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to get in the ball and go do some damage.” .
The Seahawks need help.
Their best path to the playoffs is to win their last two games, starting with a Chicago team reeling from nine straight lossesafter falling NFC leader Detroitand have the Rams lose to Arizona on Saturday night. Seattle then visits Los Angeles to close out the regular season.
Growing losses
The Bears (4-11) just need one win. It’s been nothing but losses for them since they beat Jacksonville in London in Week 6.
First, Chicago fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. And then his head coach during a season for the first time when the Bears let Matt Eberflus go the day after a Thanksgiving loss in Detroit. They are 0-3 with interim coach Thomas Brown.
If the Bears drop this game, they will have their second double-digit loss in three seasons under general manager Ryan Poles. They lost their last 10 games two years ago as part of a franchise-worst 14-game slide that stretches into 2023. Chicago has never lost more than 10 in a row in a single season.
“I think it would just be good for morale,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Obviously, it doesn’t mean much for the playoffs or anything like that. It won’t really have any indication about what’s going to happen next year. But just good for morale. It would just be an uplifting thing for the dressing room to this point”.
running trouble
The running game continues to be a sore spot for Seattle.
The Seahawks are averaging 91.9 yards rushing. Only the New York Jets (88.7) and Las Vegas Raiders (77.5) are worse.
Against Minnesota, the Seahawks ran the ball on 45 of their 60 offensive plays. His 15 rushes produced just 59 yards.
Running back Kenneth Walker III left last week’s game with an ankle injury after sitting out the previous two because of a calf problem. He also missed two weeks in September with an oblique problem.
The Seahawks also had to deal with a host of issues on the offensive line, including injuries and the sudden retirement of starting center Connor Williams midway through the season.
Things seemed to improve in week 14 when Zach Charbonnet ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Arizona. But the problems returned in losses to Green Bay and Minnesota.
Record watch
Williams has a chance to set the Bears’ single-season passing record, assuming he plays the final two games.
The No. 1 overall draft pick is sixth on the Bears’ list with 3,271 yards. Erik Kramer holds the franchise record of 3,838 in 1995.
A more immediate concern is that Williams will finish the season on a stronger note. To that end, he shook off some shaky outings by throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns last week.
Williams’ 326 consecutive attempts without an interception are an NFL rookie record and the most of any Bears player. But he was also dismissed a league and club record 60 times.
Lesson learned?
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen was benched for the first series last week after violating an unspecified team rule.
“There are some team rules throughout the week, and I just felt it was best for the team and for him not to start the game,” Macdonald said. “It was great, he understood, he took responsibility in that moment with his teammates.”
Woolen, a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie in 2022, is having an uneven season.
Going deep
The Bears could have their hands full trying to contain Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
In addition to the fact that Smith-Njigba became the 10th Seahawks last week with 1,000 yards in a season, Chicago is struggling to defend the pass. That was not the case before the season.
The Bears have had a top-10 pass defense since Nov. 17. Now it’s 23. The Bears have given up 865 yards and 102 points in the three games since Eberflus was fired.
Thank you for trusting us to deliver journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele can be reached at Csteele@njadvancemedia.com.
