Rost: Making sense of Seahawks’ ugly win in must-win game

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense did their job in primetime.

Seahawks win | Instant Reaction | Playoff scenarios | Observations | Stats

The Chicago Bears were held to less than 200 net yards and a single field goal through most of four quarters. Six different Seahawks registered at least one sack, with Leonard Williams add two to a nine-sack season, his most since 2020. And Riq Woolen picked off a desperate heave by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to ice the win.

This unit, which had been such a frustrating watch last season, rounded back into form against a weaker opponent.

But it’s not a win that felt great. Don’t get me wrong — it’s one the Seahawks needed to keep hope alive, and it’s also a victory that guaranteed Mike Macdonald a winning record in his first season as head coach. Not to mention I’d rather be writing about a team fighting for its division rather than a club whose fans are chanting “sell the team!” during a postgame broadcast (sorry to hit you with the “it could be worse” angle, but ’tis the season!).

All of that said, Thursday night’s win mostly just felt… in limbo. Because the Seahawks still need some help from the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. But let’s be honest, it was also because fans sat and watched the Seahawks’ offense run into a buzzsaw.

Things started out just fine: Seattle ran on seven of its first nine plays — a welcome sight for a team that hasn’t had much of a counter punch all season. But that first drive, which seemed promising, ended with a field goal after a pass by Geno Smith over the middle was nearly picked off. That marked the 20th consecutive game Seattle has played without scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, the longest such drought in the league.

And it didn’t get much better from there.

A Rams’ loss this weekend turns Week 18 into a win-and-get-in situation for Seattle, and in that instance, lamenting about Week 17’s offensive showing will feel like a waste of time. More important in that case will be focusing solely on a win in the regular season finale against the Rams, hopefully by leaning on some stellar defensive improvements. But all of that said, it’s probably for the best that surprise rain came down at Soldier Field to wash away the remnants of an ugly win.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Schlereth weighs in on Geno Smith’s future with Seahawks
• Huard grades rookie season for Seahawks’ Bryon Murphy II
• Seahawks have a position on D they need to address, says Brock
• Bump dives into nuances of Seahawks’ play-calling debate
• Why it’s so hard to evaluate Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith

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