Bears-Seahawks: What to watch for

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

Ben Johnson was impressed by Devon Witherspoon’s University of Illinois film long before he became the second-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. In the last year-and-a-half, he’s seen him grow even more, as the Seahawks have moved him from the slot to outside cornerback.

The Bears coach said he “still finds a way to impact the game” despite not being around the ball as often as he was in the slot. The numbers support his hunch — Pro Football Focus gives him the 10th-best coverage grade of all NFL cornerbacks to play at least half their team’s snaps.

Safety Julian Love is second among safeties. He’s one of the most accomplished Chicago-area natives in the NFL, having won the Sun-Times’ Football Player of the Year Award in 2015 while playing for Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park. He attended Notre Dame before being drafted by the Giants. He recorded his first career interception in 2019 off Mitch Trubisky at Soldier Field and picked off Drake Maye in Super Bowl LX.

Up front, the Seahawks boast edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy, all of whom rank in the top 20 in pass-rush win rate at their position.

The Seahawks rank second in the NFL in havoc rate, which measures how often a defense gets a sack, pressure, tackle for loss, forced fumble, interception or pass breakup. Since giving up 31 points to the Commanders in Week 3, the Seahawks have allowed 18 points per game — including just three against the Chiefs last week.

WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL

The Bears and Seahawks each made blockbuster trades this week. Monday night, they’ll face off against each other, the same way they did Oct. 18 when guard Quenton Nelson still played for the Colts and Jeffery Simmons played defensive tackle for the Titans. The two had played in the same division since 2019; Nelson joked this week that he can’t find a way to get away from Simmons.

The Seahawks tried to shore up their offensive line by trading a third-round pick for Nelson, who’s made a Pro Bowl in all eight of his seasons. They’d struggled until the Chiefs game, giving up a combined 10 sacks and 26 quarterback hits in back-to-back losses to the 49ers and Broncos. Against Kansas City, they gave up no sacks and just two hits on Sam Darnold. The quarterback was sharp, posting a passer rating of 96.9 after having a 64.6 and 52.6 in the previous two weeks.

After letting Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker sign with the Chiefs in March, the Seahawks have struggled to get production at running back. Entering Week 8, only eight teams averaged fewer yards per carry than the Seahawks’ 3.9.

Veteran running back Zach Charbonnet, who tore his knee last year, will make his season debut Monday. First-round Jadarian Price hasn’t played since Week 4 because of a chest injury. He’s not carrying an injury designation, but the Seahawks need to activate the running back off injured reserve Monday afternoon in order to play.