The Chicago Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 in their second preseason game on Thursday night. And, to be honest, it wasn’t close. Even as Seattle attempted to mount a comeback in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Chicago’s starters played even less than the preseason opener, but we still got to see progress on offense in their lone series — which resulted in a field goal on their opening possession.
There was plenty to breakdown following Chicago’s preseason win over Seattle. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the game, including what stood out.
The Bears’ preseason win vs. Seahawks
Alyssa Barbieri
It’s clear the Bears offense still has a ways to go, but Thursday night’s game gave us a brief glimpse at what we can expect from Justin Fields in this Luke Getsy offense. And, shocker, the offense looks like a perfect fit for Fields. Granted, there are still concerns about pass protection – where Fields was under duress during his lone series – and overall weapons on offense. But what we saw against the Seahawks was the antithesis of the Matt Nagy offense. The Bears utilized Fields’ athleticism, where they finally rolled him out and it made for some solid throws from the second-year QB. Cole Kmet showed his potential in the passing game, and we very well could finally see that breakout year for the third-year tight end. We still don’t know the full extent of this offense, which is kind of exciting. But from what we’ve seen so far, Fields and the Bears are trending in the right direction.
After Jaquan Brisker’s impressive performance in the preseason opener, all eyes were on Kyler Gordon and Velus Jones Jr. in their debuts. It was a mixed bag for Gordon, who had issues with tackling but also showed his speed and versatility in the slot. It wasn’t perfect, but it was encouraging. While Jones only had one catch for 4 yards on offense, he flashed his playmaking ability on special teams. Jones returned both kickoffs and punts, where he showed just how dangerous he can be in space. Jones’ best play was an electric 48-yard punt return that set up Chicago’s first touchdown of the night. While the hope is to get Jones involved on offense, he showed how he can benefit the offense on special teams.
Brendan Sugrue
Even though it’s the preseason, it seems clear that the Chicago Bears will not be the worst team in the NFL. That title could belong to the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears dismantled Seattle and played a far more disciplined game from start to finish. That’s something we haven’t seen too much of over the last few years with the previous regime and that should be something that carries over into the regular season.
Offensively, there are still deficiencies, especially with the offensive line as a whole. The good news is offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterback Justin Fields can counteract those issues with key rollouts, screens, and Fields’ athleticism. We’ll see how long that lasts but at least that shows there can be adjustments. The first-team offense did wind up scoring points too, which is always a bonus.
The defense needs to clean a few things up, particularly their tackling. The Seahawks were able to march down the field at multiple points in the game and only missed out on points by shooting themselves in the foot. It wasn’t as clean of a game defensively as I would have liked, even knowing certain key contributors were out.
The Bears have just one more game to solidify a few positions. We’ll see how long the starters last but overall, you have to feel a little better about how this team might perform when the regular season begins. It won’t be perfect and they still may not be a good team, but they’re going to be extremely competitive and play smart football.
Ryan Fedrau
The Bears are 2-0! Another great team win with some impressive performances across the board. I was very impressed with rookie Velus Jones Jr. on special teams. I also enjoyed watching Trenton Gill punt the football. Gill is a special talent and a great draft pick by Ryan Poles.
The offensive line was better, the offense looked smoother, and the defense played lights out. Next Saturday the Bears finish up their preseason schedule against the Browns. Even though it doesn’t matter, they’ll have a chance to get some redemption after last year’s embarrassing loss.
