Thursday Night Football turned into Thursday Night Losers this week as the Chicago Bears won their second preseason game of the exhibition season 27-11 over the Seattle Seahawks. Bears second-year quarterback Justin Fields played just one ball, but that’s all Chicago really needed. A 14-0 run in the second quarter extended the Bears’ lead to 17 at halftime, and the deficit was too much for Seattle’s reserves.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock was supposed to start this matchup over Geno Smith as the two continue their position battle, but the former Denver Bronco came down with COVID-19 this week, so Smith started again in place
Smith played the entire first half, completing 10 of 18 passes for 112 yards, and posted what was an up-and-down performance. Head coach Pete Carroll said before the game that Smith would play in the third quarter, but the quarterback left the locker room after halftime with a wrapped right knee and Jacob Eason took over.
Chicago won in all three facets of the game. The offense was more consistent, the defense buckled at times but didn’t break, and the special teams created several splash plays. Let’s take a look at what happened in Seattle on Thursday night.
Geno Smith isn’t running away with the QB competition
With Lock sidelined due to COVID-19, Smith returned to starting at quarterback. Many hoped this would be the time the vet would run away with the quarterback competition, but that didn’t happen.
We saw both good and bad from the Seahawks offense, and it wasn’t all Smith’s fault. On one play in the first half, the Seahawks converted a fourth-and-2 at the Bears’ 34-yard line to get to the 22-yard line, but an illegal use of hands nullified the play and knock Seattle off the field. target range. The next drive, Jason Myers missed a 47-yard field goal attempt after the Seahawks had a first-and-10 from the Bears’ 27-yard line a few plays earlier.
Smith missed a couple of deep passes and also tripped his own run out of play action for a big loss. He had a couple of good throws that picked up big yards, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Seahawks were outscored 17-0 in the first half and the boo birds were out in Seattle.
Our best guess is that Smith ends up winning the job, but he didn’t exactly do that Thursday night. One fan came prepared for a lackluster offensive performance.
Decent Justin Fields in limited action
Fields played just one drive Thursday night, completing 5-of-7 passes for 39 yards. Once again, the offensive line didn’t exactly help Fields out early. He was under pressure on nearly every pass play, but the Bears marched 52 yards down the field in 10 plays to kick a field goal, the game’s first points.
When Fields gets time to pitch, though, he looks good. Check out this 19-yard connection with tight end Cole Kmet.
A couple of things to note from that first drive: The Bears ran the action on almost every pass play. Also, five plays into the possession, the offense faced a fourth-and-2. Fields then did a nice job of drawing Darrell Taylor’s offside to keep the ball alive.
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett make surprise appearances
ESPN didn’t expect Seattle’s top two receivers to play, but to the surprise of the broadcast crew and pretty much everyone, Metcalf and Lockett took the field on Seattle’s first possession of the game. However, neither was tackled and the Seahawks went three-and-out.
Bones rookie WR/PR Velus Jones Jr. blink
Many don’t see Chicago as having one of the NFL’s elite receiving corps, but keep an eye on the rookie out of Tennessee. Even if Jones Jr. doesn’t make an impact catching the ball in Year 1, he can star as a returner.
Check out this 48-yard punt return that Jones Jr. fell to the sideline in the first quarter:
He has a special teams touchdown
While the Bears looked good coming back, the Seahawks did not. Seattle held off a point last week and had another on Thursday night that cost them seven points!
Seahawks LG Damien Lewis is out with an injury
That’s not what you want to see in the preseason. Seahawks starting left guard Lewis went down next to Caleb Johnson early in the second quarter, and the broadcast noted that teammates were quick to call for medical personnel as soon as the whistle blew. According to the Tacoma News Tribune, medical staff put air on Lewis’ leg/ankle and he was carted off the field.
Lewis started all 13 games he played for the Seahawks last year.
First round pick LT Charles Cross struggles with penalties
The Seahawks committed five offensive penalties in the first half. Cross had four with three false starts and a holding penalty. He drew his fifth penalty — another false start — in the third quarter. Playing left tackle, especially as a rookie, is tough. Cross has all the intangibles to be a franchise left tackle, but he won’t do it if he’s going to wear yellow often.
What follows
The Bears close out the preseason on the road against the Cleveland Browns next Saturday. The Seahawks will also hit the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys, closing out the exhibition season next Friday.