The Seahawks continued a season-long theme of struggling to finish close games, losing a 10-point second half lead en route to a 25–24 loss to the Chicago Bears. Here are five rapid reactions to the loss, which dropped the Seahawks' record to 5-10 and officially removed them from playoff contention:
1. Once again, the Seahawks couldn't finish.
This season has been a recurring theme for the Seahawks, they were late in a game, but whether it was on offense or their inability to hold off on defense, they were unable to close out a winnable game.
The Seahawks had a lead of 10 in the third quarter after Russell Wilson hit Gerald Everett for a 24-yard touchdown, but after the Bears went for a field goal, the Seahawks responded with a drive that took the lead. 10, but after Wilson was dismissed at third-down, Jason Myers missed a 39-yard field goal.
The Seahawks were still in the lead of 7 when the Bears had 80 yards left with 2:56 to go, and they were able to do so quickly, scoring on a six-play drive that was capped by a Jimmy Graham touchdown. Then a 2 point conversion to give the Bears the lead.
The Seahawks left the ball with 1:01, but the drive did not go away, in part due to a pair of penalties, a hold and a false start. And the end result was another one point loss for the Seahawks in a season full of them.
2. A defense that has been so good this season couldn't get the stops it needed.
While a lot has gone wrong for the Seahawks this year, they have been a very good defensive team for most of the season, and came in fourth in the scoring defense in the game. But after nine straight opponents having 23 or fewer points, including five to fewer than 20, the Seahawks saw the streak end to their third-string quarterback against a Bears team, and for most of the game, the Seahawks saw the streak as their third-string quarterback. Third-string left tackle.
The Bears were particularly good at third-down, going 7 for 14, including multiple conversions at third-end-8 or higher, a big reason why they had a huge advantage in possession time (38 :25 to 21:35). The Seahawks were also unable to record a takeaway against the Chicago offense which had scored 10 turnovers in their last three games.
3. Rashaad Penny had another big game.
It has been a tough four years for Rashad Penney, a former first-rounder whose career has been marred by injuries. But depending on what happens in what could be his last few games as the Seahawks, Penny is making a pretty impressive end to the season. After taking an early role with Chris Carson and then later Alex Collins dealing with injuries, Penny raced for a career-best 137 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Texans two weeks ago, then on Sunday with a 135. And the big game was yards and a score of 17.
As important as yardage for Penny is the fact that it was his fourth consecutive game with 10 or more carries, and his third straight start without any apparent injury issues. For a player who has struggled to stay healthy, piling up healthy games to close out the season is big enough for Penny to go into free agency.
4. Carlos Dunlap II and Rasheem Green are finishing the season strong.
Aside from Darrell Taylor's impressive first season, it's been a quiet season for Rush near Seattle, but over the past few weeks both Carlos Dunlop II and Rashim Green have been putting together some strong games to close out the season.
Dunlop, who only had 1.5 sacks during Week 14, added three against the Rams last week and two more against the Bears on Sunday, one of which was fouled, although the Bears were able to recover.
Green also added two sacks, giving him 3.5 in the last three games.
5. Bobby Wagner made history.
With a tackle late in the third quarter, linebacker Bobby Wagner re-entered his name in the Seahawks record books. Or more accurately, he changed his name. Wagner's 10th tackle of the game on Sunday was his 168th of the season, breaking the single-season record of 167 he set in 2016.
The legend just continues to grow.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 26, 2021
With his 10th tackle today, @Bwagz has set the franchise record for tackles in a season with 168, breaking the previous mark held by…@Bwagz! pic.twitter.com/SI8y2hxhcm