Bears beat Seahawks 34–17 as stalled drives blunt Seattle’s comeback

Chicago beat Seattle 34–17 on Monday, November 2, at Lumen Field. The Seahawks cut the deficit to three in the fourth quarter, but the Bears scored twice more to improve to 6–2. Seattle fell to 4–4 after an evening in which its best individual plays could not compensate for how rarely the offense sustained possession.

Seattle got close, then Chicago answered

Chicago opened with an 80-yard touchdown drive that took 17 plays. Caleb Williams found Luther Burden from a yard out to finish it. Seattle got back into the game late in the second quarter when Sam Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 43-yard touchdown. The extra point missed, leaving Chicago ahead 13–9 at halftime.

D’Andre Swift extended that lead with a third-quarter touchdown. The Seahawks gave themselves another chance when DeMarcus Lawrence stripped Colston Loveland and recovered the ball. Cooper Kupp converted the short field into a touchdown, and Tory Horton caught the two-point pass to make it 20–17.

Chicago’s response was a 56-yard touchdown drive. A tipped Darnold pass was then intercepted, setting up another short scoring drive for the Bears. Swift finished with three rushing touchdowns, including both fourth-quarter scores. Seattle’s defense had created the opportunity to change the game, but Chicago never gave the offense a possession with a chance to take the lead.

The problem was sustaining drives

The official game center credited Chicago with 363 yards to Seattle’s 252. The Seahawks converted only one of 11 third downs and allowed three sacks. They also had a field goal blocked. Smith-Njigba’s six catches for 118 yards showed what Seattle could do when the passing game connected, but those gains came too far apart to offset the stalled possessions.

Safety Julian Love credited Chicago and called for better collective execution in the team’s postgame reporting. Seattle Sports analyst Brock Huard emphasized how much of the game Chicago controlled at the line of scrimmage. Their observations point to the difference between having a chance on the scoreboard and consistently putting the opposing defense under pressure.

Seattle’s injury report listed defensive lineman Leonard Williams as questionable to return during the game. That designation does not establish his status for the next game. Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price were both active after time away with injuries, giving Seattle options in the backfield even as the offense struggled to stay on schedule.

Analysis: make third down easier

Seattle should focus first on what happens before third down. Efficient runs and shorter completions can keep more of the playbook open and make it harder for a pass rush to anticipate the snap. An explosive receiver is especially valuable when the defense must also respect the run and the underneath throw. When every series feels like it needs a big gain, that advantage gets harder to use.

On defense, Seattle’s work against the run did not solve Chicago’s success over the middle. The next step is to pair pressure with coverage that contests the catch and tackles it promptly. The Bears’ answer after Seattle made it a one-score game is the drive worth revisiting: the defense needed a stop while the margin was still small, before the late turnover gave Chicago another short field.

What comes next

Seattle hosts Arizona on Sunday, November 8. Watch the distance on third down, how often Seattle turns scoring chances into touchdowns and whether the defense gets a stop immediately after its own offense scores. Those are more useful measures of a response than waiting for another long touchdown to change the game.

Rain City Sports editorial desk | Published November 3, 2026. Sources checked November 3, 2026. Image: illustrative Seattle scene.

Sources

• Official game center (checked 2026-11-03)
• Team postgame analysis (checked 2026-11-03)
• Julian Love postgame (checked 2026-11-03)
• Brock Huard, Seattle Sports (checked 2026-11-03)
• In-game injury report (checked 2026-11-03)
• Running back availability (checked 2026-11-03)
• NFL schedule (checked 2026-11-03)

Analysis and recommendations are the editorial desk’s interpretation. Reporting and attributed perspectives are linked above. Information is current as of the publication date.