Caleb Williams and Geno Smith are in much different phases of their careers. The crossroads they and their teams will face this offseason reflect that too.
But anyone watching Thursday night’s game knows that neither team can be pleased with what they saw from their quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Chicago Bears 6-3 on Thursday night in an ugly, miserable game between two flawed teams. Each quarterback had a tough time, and it left everyone wondering what the future holds for them both. Only one of those teams has to decide if their quarterback will return, however.
There hadn’t been any points in the second half when the Bears finally put together a drive in the final minutes, trailing by three points. Williams made a couple of big-time plays to keep the drive alive, the first time Williams had produced much at all. But the drive stalled, and with 20 seconds left, the Bears passed on a 57-yard field-goal attempt to go for it on fourth-and-10. Williams threw an interception on a desperate pass, the appropriate ending to a horrendous night for both offenses.
For Smith, there will be more discussion over whether he’s the right player for the Seahawks (9-7), especially as he’s about to turn 35 next season, or if there’s a better option available. Thursday night’s performance won’t quiet his critics.
The Williams conversation will be more complicated. He was the No. 1 pick of this year’s NFL Draft; he’s in no danger of being replaced. But the Bears (4-12) have to figure out how to land a new coaching staff that will get more out of him than we saw his rookie season, and then get an idea of how much the team failed Williams this season, or how much Williams failed the team.
The offseason will be full of teams asking themselves serious questions about their current situation at quarterback and what they can do to fix it. The Bears and Seahawks have probably already started discussing it. If they haven’t, they should after what everyone watched Thursday.
Both teams have a terrible 1st half
The Bears have been dreadful in the first halves of games this season. Not that they’re much better in the second half, but the starts have been stunningly poor.
The Bears did not score in the first quarter Thursday night, which is nothing new. They have failed to score in the first quarter in 12 of their 16 games this season. They have 20 points total in the first quarter this season. Chicago had 25 yards and one first down in the first quarter.
The only thing keeping the Bears afloat Thursday night and avoiding a fourth straight blowout was that the Seahawks weren’t much better. Both quarterbacks failed to reach 100 yards passing in the first half. The Seahawks scored first on a field goal, the Bears’ one decent drive of the first half tied it with a field goal, and then Seattle took a 6-3 lead into halftime with another field goal.
At the end of a miserable, disheartening season that started with so much promise, Bears fans sat through the rain and cold to watch two flawed teams throw incompletions and trade field goals in the first half.
And the second half might have been even worse than the first half.
An even slower 2nd half
The score remained 6-3 deep into the fourth quarter. Chicago had what looked like a key fumble recovery at their 38-yard line, but on the ensuing drive, the Bears' offense picked up 1 yard and punted. The Bears punted on each of their first four drives of the second half.
Williams kept taking sacks, moving up to 67 on the season. That’s the fourth most for any quarterback in a season in NFL history. The Bears’ offensive line isn’t good, but one project the team’s new head coach will have is to get Williams out of the habit of holding the ball too long and trying to do too much. It made it hard for the Bears to sustain drives.
The Bears had a chance to at least tie the game in the final minutes. Williams started getting some yards running it. On fourth-and-inches, just before the two-minute warning, the Bears had a false start penalty, the type of sloppy mistake that bad teams continuously make. But Williams made his best play of the night, a desperate heave that DJ Moore pulled in for a first down. That’s the type of highlight that Williams sometimes produces, and gives the Bears hope that he can develop into a star.
Williams had another big-time throw to Rome Odunze for another first down to keep the Bears alive. Chicago wasted a lot of time after that, which brought back flashbacks to the clock management debacle on Thanksgiving, and then called a timeout after Williams had thrown incomplete and the clock was stopped. Williams threw a couple more incomplete passes after that, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-10 and Williams threw one up under pressure, and it was intercepted to seal the Seahawks’ win.
This was the last Thursday night game of the season, and a reminder that we often don’t get the best out of either team when they’ve had just a few days' rest. Smith was better than Williams, but that’s not saying too much.
Smith has stretches in which he’ll play well, mixed in with negative plays that are surprising from an 11-year veteran. At this point, the book is written on what Smith is as a quarterback. The Seahawks have to decide if that’s the road they want to continue on, and whether something like overhauling the offensive line might help Smith out more.
And the one completion was an off-schedule miracle. Not that those aren't fun or useful, but they can't be a foundation for an NFL offense. There's so much work that needs to be done here, from a player level and an organization level. https://t.co/1NrUUtN8iN
Williams needs an offensive line, too. Before that, the Bears will hire a new coach and staff. They fired Matt Eberflus after a Thanksgiving loss, partially because Williams struggled so much this season. The biggest questions in the interview process have to be what each candidate’s plan is to get more out of Williams. It’s just hard to trust the Bears’ brass to get the hire right, considering they haven’t made many right calls over the past few decades.
For most fans, Thursday night was the last look at the Seahawks and Bears. They might each look a lot different next season.
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Jack Baer
Had that last throw not been intercepted, Caleb Williams would have become just the third QB in NFL history with 10 consecutive games with at least 20 pass attempts and no interceptions (Tom Brady in 2010 and Derek Carr in 2018).
The Bears have lost their 10th straight game, while the Seahawks keep their playoff hopes alive by moving to 9-7. They will still need some help this weekend and next.
Jack Baer
FINAL: Seahawks 6, Bears 3
The Seahawks win the lowest-scoring game of the season by having an offense that at least resembled functionality at one point.
Geno Smith: 17-of-23 for 160 yards, three sacks
Caleb Williams: 16-of-28 for 122 yards, one interception, seven sacks
Jack Baer
INTERCEPTION: Seahawks seal the game on a Caleb Williams arm punt
Caleb Williams throws it up high after getting hit with more immediate pressure, but it's a Seahawk who comes down with it this time. Riq Woolen gets the pick and that will do it for this game.
That also breaks Williams' interception streak, which was maybe last good thing to say aboutf a rookie season that has not gone according to plan.
Caleb Williams throws to no one on third down and it's suddenly 4th-and-10 with 20 seconds left after a Seattle timeout. The Bears could be going for a 58-yard field goal to tie it, but it looks like they're sending the offense back out.
Jack Baer
The Bears have used two timeouts inside 2:14 while trailing, and neither of those were used to stop the clock.
What on earth? The Bears burn their final timeout after some confusion at the line of scrimmage, with 31 seconds left. Williams has saved them a couple times, but this drive has been a time management disaster for the Bears.
Jack Baer
Once again, Caleb Williams pulls something out of his helmet. Again scrambling, he throws across his body and finds Rome Odunze for a first down on 3rd-and-14. We are now down to 40 seconds left.
Wow, it was an adventure to get there, but Caleb Williams makes a great throw under pressure to D.J. Moore to get a massive first down. That was probably his best play of the game.
Wait, now the Bears burn their second timeout of the half to actually go for it on 4th-and-5.
Jack Baer
And Bears right guard Jake Curhan gets called for a false start, making it 4th-and-5. So the Bears are punting with 2:14 remaining. What a trainwreck.
Jack Baer
Caleb Williams gets stopped just short of a first down on a third-down scramble and the Bears appear to be going for it on 4th-and-inches. They call a timeout first, with 2:14 remaining. This is starting to look like their last real opportunity of the game.
Jack Baer
In case you're wondering, a 6-3 score would tie the fewest combined points in a game in Seahawks history. Seattle lost 6-3 at Cleveland in 2011.
CB Josh Jobe questionable to return because of a knee injury, #Seahawks say. That's why S Rayshawn Jenkins was on the field that drive in nickel, to get the 3rd-down sack.
The blitz gets to Caleb Williams for the Seahawks' sixth sack of the night, adding to his NFL-leading total of 66. The Bears punt on 4th-and-16 and we have only 8:16 left in this contest.
The important part right now is making sure this game doesn't go to overtime.
Jack Baer
The Seahawks respond with a three-and-out in the battle of stoppable forces. The Bears will again have decent field position after a punt return by Josh Blackwell.
Fourth down, Chicago. There are more boos and another punt. The Bears have 121 total yards and are averaging 3.1 yards per play (Seahawks: 5.4.
Jack Baer
Sometimes defensive struggles are fun to watch, with every yard feeling like it has to be earned. This more feels like watching a play where all the actors are trying to talk to each other with headphones in.
Jack Baer
The third quarter is over and the Bears on the verge of wasting their opportunity from the fumble after a sack gives them 2nd-and-24. Just an absolutely miserable viewing experience.
FUMBLE: Bears have scoop-and-score TD wiped out, but turnover stands
Well that was weird. The Bears recovered an apparent fumble by Tre Brown and take it all the way for a touchdown, but it was clear many players thought the play was done. Replay confirms it was a fumble forced by and recovered by Kyler Gordon, but he's ruled down.
It's still a turnover, but the Bears offense now has to get something out of it from their own 38-yard line.
Jarran Reed with the sack of Caleb Williams--and then the Michael Bennett hip-thrust sack dance.
4 1/2 sacks this season for Reed, 7 1/2 since they signed him back before last season. #Seahawks would do well to give him another contract after this season, into his early 30s
The Bears got a first down this time on a 16-yard Caleb Williams scramble, but that's about as far as they get. They've punted on 5-of-6 drives tonight.
Geno Smith is strip-sacked by former Seahawks pass-rusher Darrell Taylor, but the Seahawks avoid disaster with a recovery by Olu Oluwatimi. The Seahawks still have to punt on 4th-and-10.
Geno Smith makes things happen on 3rd-and-five, scrambling and sliding for a 16-yard run despite a bad knee. By this game's standards, it's a top highlight.
Jack Baer
This game has been DISGUSTING for fantasy so far 🤮
Geno Smith: 4.28 fantasy points Caleb Williams: 3.28 fantasy points DK Metcalf: 2.9 fantasy points Keenan Allen: 2.1 fantasy points Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 1.2 fantasy points
The boos are out for the Bears after getting stuffed up the middle on 3rd and 2 for a three-and-out to open the second half. Tory Taylor has punted on four of the Bears' first five drives.
Jack Baer
That was generously credited as Devon Witherspoon's first sack of the season, chasing Bears QB Caleb Williams OB for no gain on the scramble
Seattle's drive stalls out at the Bears' 32-yard line after Geno Smith throws incomplete on 3rd-and-5.
Jason Myers comes out to kick a 50-yard field goal and a 6–3 Seahawks lead with 21 seconds remaining before the half.
Ian Casselberry
Seahawks driving before halftime
Noah Fant is doing his best to get the Seahawks another score before halftime. He's caught two passes for 25 yards.
DK Metcalf follows up with a 14-yard reception and Seattle is at the Bears' 33-yard line with one minute remaining in the first half.
Ian Casselberry
Field goal: Bears 3, Seahawks 3
The Bears looked like they had a touchdown with Caleb Williams hitting Rome Odunze on an out route in the end zone. But Jake Curhan is called for holding, wiping out the score.
On 3rd-and-20 from the Seattle 27, Williams completes a three-yard pass to D'Andre Swift and the Bears have to settle for a field goal.
Cairo Santos kicks a 42-yarder to tie the game at 3–3.
Ian Casselberry
Caleb Williams recovers nicely
Caleb Williams makes chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what, picking up his fumble then hitting Keenan Allen for a 16-yard gain.
And... Seattle is no longer on the move. Geno Smith is sacked by Byron Cowart on 2nd-and-8, then Jaxon Smith-Njigba is called for lining up offsides. That penalty is declined, so the Seahawks have to punt.
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