The Bears and Seahawks have combined for six punts and nine points. Seattle headed to the locker room with a 6-3 halftime lead.
The most exciting part of Thursday Night Football came just before the two-minute warning when Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf and Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson got into it. Metcalf ended up drawing a 15-yard penalty for head-butting Stevenson. During the timeout, Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett and Bears defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker exchanged words.
On a rainy night in Chicago, the Seahawks had scoring drives of 71 and 38 yards and settled for Jason Myers’ field goals of 27 and 50 after stalling at the Bears 9 and 32.
The Seahawks gained 178 yards in the first half, including 91 rushing. Zach Charbonnet has nine carries for 50 yards and Kenny McIntosh five for 37.
Geno Smith is 10-of-15 for 97 yards, with Noah Fant catching three for 40.
The Bears punted on their first three possessions, two of them three-and-outs. They then put together a 13-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard Cairo Santos field goal with 2:32 left in the half.
The Bears scored a 17-yard touchdown on Caleb Williams’ 17-yard throw to Rome Odunze on third-and-10, but offensive lineman Jake Curhan was called for holding.
Chicago has only 101 yards with Williams going 7-of-13 for 82 yards and DJ Moore catching three for 37.
The Bears will see the return of defensive tackle Gervon Dexter on Thursday night.
He was questionable with a knee injury that kept him out of the Week 16 loss to the Lions.
Dexter has 44 tackles, five sacks, 16 quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries in 13 games this season.
The Bears’ inactives are left guard Teven Jenkins (calf), defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, running back Travis Homer (hamstring), safety Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot), linebacker Noah Sewell and safety Tarvarius Moore (knee).
The Seahawks’ inactives are quarterback Jaren Hall, tight end Brady Russell (foot), offensive tackle Michael Jerrell, wide receiver Cody White, linebacker Patrick O’Connell and cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett. Hall will serve as the emergency, third quarterback.
Kenny Pickett is expecting to be fine to play this weekend.
Pickett spoke to reporters on Thursday and said he’s planning to be available to play, despite dealing with a ribs injury. The Eagles seem likely to need their backup Pickett, as starting quarterback Jalen Hurts is dealing with a concussion and has not practiced yet this week.
“Yeah, full go today,” Pickett said of his practice status on Thursday, via Tim McManus of ESPN. “Tested out some different things padding-wise, just making sure I feel good with it for Sunday. But, yeah.”
Asked if he felt good about the tests he underwent after Sunday’s game, Pickett said, “It is what it is.”
“Just something I’m going to have to deal with,” Pickett said. “So, yeah, I’ll be ready to go Sunday.”
Pickett added he’s not expecting to have any limitations due to the injury.
“I think after a couple more days, getting a chance to kind of rest a little bit more, go do some rehab, I’ll be good for Sunday.
In his first year with the Eagles, Pickett got his first extended playing time of the season in last Sunday’s loss to Washington. Pickett completed 14-of-24 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception in that game.
If the Seahawks are going to make the postseason, they’ll need to do it without running back Kenneth Walker.
Seattle announced on Thursday that Walker has been placed on injured reserve with the ankle injury he suffered during last week’s loss to the Vikings.
Walker had just returned from a calf injury that had sidelined him for two games.
Now on IR, Walker will finish his 2024 season with 573 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns along with 46 catches for 299 yards with a TD in 11 games.
Zach Charbonnet is likely to start in Walker’s stead. He’s totaled 453 yards rushing with eight touchdowns plus 39 catches for 289 yards with a TD in his second season.
The Seahawks signed running back George Holani to their 53-man roster off of the practice squad to fill Walker’s roster spot.
Seattle has also elevated cornerback Artie Burns from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Thursday’s matchup against Chicago.
The Seahawks won’t have running back Kenneth Walker III on Thursday night.
The team announced that Walker has been ruled out for their game against the Bears because of an ankle injury. Walker returned to the lineup last Sunday after missing two games with a calf injury, but was knocked out of Seattle’s loss to the Vikings with his new ailment.
Zach Charbonnet is set to be the lead back against Chicago. He played sparingly against Minnesota, but had four touchdowns in the previous three games.
The Seahawks will release a full injury report later on Wednesday, but they have also ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K’Von Wallace (ankle).
