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The Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks are set to face off on Monday Night Football in a battle between two NFC contenders. The game presents a significant opportunity for Ben Johnson's squad to demonstrate they belong among the NFL's elite teams.
Although the defending Super Bowl champions may not have been at their best earlier this month, they delivered their most complete performance of the season in a 20-3 victory over Kansas City last week. The Seahawks sit at 4-3, but their three losses have come by a combined margin of just eight points. Oddsmakers remain confident in Seattle; according to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Seahawks are three-point favorites for the Monday night clash. Additionally, roughly two-thirds of experts predict Seattle will win at home.
However, a few players could tilt the game in Chicago's favor with strong performances, and we're banking on them to do just that.
Jeffery Simmons records a strip sack
The Bears have a -1 turnover differential over their first seven games (thanks, Tyson Bagent). That's a stark contrast to where they were at this time last season, when they ranked first by a wide margin with a +13 differential after a flurry of takeaways from Weeks 4-7. Jeffery Simmons' arrival should help them gain traction in that area. He's a true game-wrecker who can generate near-immediate pressure from the interior regardless of who he's lining up against. In this case, he'll be facing someone he knows well in Quenton Nelson, whom Seattle traded for from Indianapolis earlier this week. Simmons will immediately make his presence felt up front for Chicago's defense. He'll get a strip sack against Sam Darnold, who has yet to put a ball on the ground this season.
Kyler Gordon catches his first interception of the season
While Darnold hasn't fumbled, he's thrown quite a few passes into his opponents' hands thus far. Despite missing one game (and 95% of another), he's tied for the league lead with eight interceptions thrown. Simmons' ability to collapse the pocket will obviously provide a major improvement up front, but it'll also help the secondary. Opposing quarterbacks will have significantly less time to throw, and the cornerbacks should have opportunities to jump routes. It's only a matter of time before Kyler Gordon catches his first interception of the season. With his efficiency as a pass rusher on tape, he'll trick an opposing quarterback by selling the blitz and dropping back into coverage sooner rather than later. What better time than on Monday night against a risk-taker like Darnold?
Caleb Williams throws three touchdowns
The Seahawks are firing on all cylinders on the defensive side of the ball right now. They haven't given up a passing touchdown in two games (most recently against Patrick Mahomes), and they've given up only three in October. The start of November won't go as well for them, though. With 11 days to prepare (and rest) for Monday night's clash, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will scheme up some answers against Mike Macdonald's stout unit. Williams will throw three touchdowns on Monday night and continue his ascension to the upper echelon of quarterbacks. The fact that they'll occasionally have solid starting field position (due to the other two predictions) won't hurt, but he'll be sharp.
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Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down! Follow jerrymarkarian.