What History tells us between Bears and Seahawks |
As you enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend on Sunday, the Bears will be back in action as they head out west to take on the Seattle Seahawks. This had the chance to be an intriguing matchup, especially when you consider all the Russell Wilson to Chicago trade rumors that stirred. Once those rumors died down, camp began as both teams had high expectations for their season.
Instead, you have a Bears team sitting at 4-10 and losing eight of their last nine games while the Seahawks check-in at 5-9 and are just trying to finish off their frustrating season. If anything, this is a battle for draft position as the winner of this game will pick in front of the loser come the 2022 NFL draft. Even with both teams out of the playoff picture, this series has had some incredible moments, even if the teams haven't played each other all that often. This will be the 19th meeting between the two teams since the series began in 1976, with Seattle holding the 11-7 edge right now. Looking at the early portion of this series and it was all Seattle. That came as a surprise to most. Sure, the Bears won the inaugural meeting in 1976 34-7, but the Seahawks took control after that, winning the next four contests relatively easily, with the 1978 and 1982 meetings decided by one score. Take away those four wins, and the series has been played pretty tight, but that early streak is the difference in the overall standings to this point. The Bears got back on the winning side of things after that skid by shutting the Seahawks out 17-0 in 1990. Neal Anderson paved the way for the Bears in that one with a pair of rushing touchdowns and 101 yards on the ground to back Jim Harbaugh and the offense. Once again, the Seahawks had answers after the loss against this team and, after a nine-year wait, knocked off Chicago 14-13 in 1999 before winning again in 2003. Since that year, the Bears fortunes have been much better, even if the wins haven't consistently come. Led by a dominating day by Rex Grossman and Thomas Jones in 2006, the Bears topped Seattle and won by their biggest margin in the series history, 37-6. Later that season, these same teams met in the playoffs, and it was the Bears emerging victorious 27-24 on a Robbie Gould 49 yard field goal in OT. This was their biggest win of the series because it carried the most significance. That playoff win was followed by a loss the next season to Seattle before the two teams split the next two games heading into the playoffs. For the second time in five years, the Bears met the Seahawks in the postseason and once again came away the victors with a 35-24 win. In that game, Jay Cutler picked the Seahawks secondary apart, throwing for 274 yards and a pair of scores as the Bears were off to the NFC Championship game.
Although that was a big win, it was the last win that this team would have against Seattle for quite a while as the Seahawks responded with three-straight wins spanning 2011,2012, and 2015. The last time these teams met was in 2018, and that game was played at Soldier Field. Looking for their first win in seven years against the birds, Chicago got a gutsy performance from Mitch Trubisky as he overcame two interceptions with a pair of touchdown passes and 200 yards through the air.
He was backed by a defense that didn't let Russell Wilson settle in as the Bears won that game 24-17 to put the series where it stands today. Although these teams are going nowhere this season, most of these games have been competitive games. Chicago hasn't gone to Seattle often, but they typically struggle as they are 2-5 against Seattle on the road when they do.
Their last win out west against them came in 2009, so it has been more than 10 years since they won a game in Seattle. Even with nothing to play for outside of pride this weekend, perhaps getting a win at a challenging play to play can be seen as a moral victory.
