THE APEX TIMES
Seattle dropped to 4-4 after a Week 8 defeat at Lumen Field, but the Seahawks’ coaches and key players framed it as one game in a bigger identity-building process.
The Seahawks entered their Week 8 home matchup against the Bears with an impressive run, but they left Monday night with a 34-17 loss that reflected a team-wide struggle in all three phases, according to Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald.
Seattle’s record fell to 4-4, extending a contrast to the team’s recent history. Over the previous two seasons, the Seahawks had suffered only six losses across regular season and playoffs, and those defeats had come by four points or fewer, including a pair of one-score games this season.
Macdonald said the Bears were simply the better team on the night, winning in offense, defense and special teams. He also pointed to a broader execution gap, arguing Seattle did not do “the things that it takes to win” while Chicago did.
The loss featured multiple turning points that Seattle addressed directly in its own postgame assessment. The team went 1 of 11 on third down and was 1 of 4 in the red zone, and a late turnover helped set up a Bears touchdown.
On defense, Seattle conceded season highs for both total yards (363) and first downs (22). The Bears were also efficient on third downs (7 of 15) and perfect in the red zone (4 of 4).
Special teams added to the margin, with Seattle leaving points on the field via a missed extra point and a blocked field goal. The team also cited penalties that affected field position and a punt misplayed in a situation that should have resulted in the ball being downed inside the 5.
Despite the overall result, Seattle still cited concrete positives. The Seahawks limited the Bears’ league-leading rushing attack to a 3.6 yards-per-carry average, recorded a takeaway, and forced three three-and-outs. Offensively, Jaxon Smith-Njigba accounted for 118 yards on six catches, including a 43-yard touchdown, while Seattle’s quarterback Sam Darnold finished with 188 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
For the Seahawks, the central takeaway was not only what went wrong, but what happens next. Macdonald and players framed the response as urgency without panic, emphasizing that the margins in the league are small and insisting the team will address issues quickly on a short week.