CHICAGO — The Seahawks didn’t necessarily need to win Thursday night to keep their playoff hopes alive, and their offense played like it.

They were undisciplined and were charged with two procedural penalties and a personal foul by DK Metcalf.

They were ineffective, managing just 265 yards and two field goals in their worst offensive performance in over a calendar year.

And ultimately, the Seahawks won thanks to their defense, which was as tough as the offense was memorable. The 6-3 scoreline was only over when Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams’ desperate attack, a fitting end to the exchange of blows dominated by Mike Macdonald’s defence.

It shouldn’t have been this close against a four-win Bears team that had lost nine games in a row, but the Seahawks’ win means they won’t necessarily be out of contention with a Los Angeles Rams victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday eliminated from the playoffs.

The Seahawks’ only path to the playoffs is as NFC West champions, and the best chance is for Los Angeles to lose on Saturday and the Seahawks to beat them next week at So-Fi Stadium, where Geno Smith and the offense Seattle will have to be much better than it was on Thursday evening.

Here’s what you should know for both teams:

QB breakdown: Geno Smith was unconvincing, completing 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards with no touchdown on a wet night in the middle of the 40s. He didn’t throw any interceptions, which was his Achilles heel in 2024, but he was almost picked off in the red zone on Seattle’s first drive. One of the three sacks he took came on a play where he should have gotten rid of the ball but held on to it while trying to buy time, resulting in a fumble that Seattle was able to recover. Smith typically plays much better indoors, so he won’t mind traveling from Chicago to So-Fi Stadium next weekend, where he has $6 million worth of contract incentives on the line – and potentially also a place in the playoffs. against the Rams.

Promising trend: Williams entered Thursday as the NFL’s most sacked quarterback, and the Seahawks’ deep pass rush took advantage of him. They pressured Williams on 10 of his first 20 dropbacks and kept him under pressure the entire game. Seattle finished the game with seven sacks from six different players. One came from Uchenna Nwosu, his first in an injury-plagued season.

Key game: Late in the third quarter, tight end Pharaoh Brown was taken out of the game by cornerback Kyler Gordon, who returned the ball for what was initially considered a touchdown. That would have given Chicago a 10-6 lead, but the officials ruled that Gordon was down due to contact, and Seattle’s defense eventually saved Brown with a punt. Nwosu’s sack for a 14-yard loss helped stall the drive. – Brady Henderson

Next game: at the Los Angeles Rams (TBA, January 4th or 5th)

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Slow starts have been a problem all season for the Bears, who have combined for 20 points in 16 first quarters. During his weekly pregame interview on ESPN 1000, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles weighed in on the causes of these issues.

“I think it comes from training camp,” Poles said. “It’s just some of the things that either weren’t addressed, they weren’t detailed enough, whatever that is.”

Chicago’s offense was a mess on a night where quarterback Caleb Williams averaged 7.6 yards per completion. Behind an offensive line that was missing left tackle Braxton Jones, who was placed on injured reserve this week, and left guard Teven Jenkins, who was sidelined with a calf injury, Williams struggled. The Bears’ offense converted 33% of its third-down attempts and looked listless on seven drives that ended in punts.

The Bears suffered their 10th straight loss to Seattle and will wrap up a season that has fallen well short of expectations in Week 18 in Green Bay.

Describe the game in two words: Hard look. The Bears couldn’t find any traction offensively, despite averaging 3.1 yards per play. Chicago’s best drive, which picked up 67 yards and consumed 7:47, resulted in a field goal after a holding penalty on left guard Jake Curhan negated a touchdown from Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze. The defense kept things close, but it was an ugly game Thursday night for both teams.

Worrying trend: Caleb Williams has taken a lot of hits this season. Williams was pressured relentlessly on dropbacks all night, resulting in him being sacked seven times. This brings the quarterback’s total number of sacks this season to 67, the second most by a rookie quarterback, trailing only David Carr’s record (76) in 2002.

Most surprising performance: The Bears defense registered three sacks for the first time since hosting Minnesota in Week 12. Former Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor had his first sack since Chicago’s season-opening win over Tennessee, while defensive tackle Byron Cowart recorded his first full sack since December 10, 2020. –Courtney Cronin

Next game: at the Green Bay Packers (TBA, January 4th or 5th)