Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks | Week 8 | Monday Night Football | November 2, 2026 | 7:15 PM CT / 8:15 PM ET / 5:15 PM PT | Lumen Field, Seattle | ESPN
I picked the Bears to beat the Patriots on Thursday night, 26-23. They won 30-24, so I had the winner and was a few points light on both sides. That made us 5-2 going into Week 8, and the biggest news of the week came off the field: the Bears traded two first-round picks to Tennessee for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Now Chicago travels to Seattle for a Monday night game against a 4-3 team that leads the NFL in total yards allowed. It’s the game I’d circle on the schedule, and I’m more nervous than I’d like to be.
Game Info: Bears at Seahawks
- Date: Monday, November 2, 2026
- Kickoff: 7:15 PM CT / 8:15 PM ET / 5:15 PM PT
- Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
- TV: ESPN (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge). Radio in Chicago was not listed on the pages I found, so check the Bears’ site
- Records: Bears 5-2; Seahawks 4-3
- Odds: DraftKings had Seattle -3 (Bears +3 at -105), with moneylines of Bears +140 and Seahawks -166 and a total of 46.5, per SI. Covers listed Seattle -3.5. The Bears are 5-2 against the spread, the best mark in the NFL, per SI
Where the Bears Are
The win over New England was the kind of game I’d been waiting for. Caleb Williams is back from the hamstring injury that cost him three games, and he’s been sharp: in four games, SI has him at 71% completions, 1,020 passing yards, five touchdowns, one interception, plus 128 rushing yards and two rushing scores. The Bears have covered in all three games he started and finished, per SI.
- Pass rush: Chicago ranks fourth in pressure rate with 19 sacks and 10 takeaways, per Covers.
- Run defense: The Bears rank 26th in run-defense DVOA (per FTN, via Covers) and allow 4.4 yards per carry, which is a concern.
- Jeffery Simmons is expected to play, per the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald, wearing No. 99. The Daily Herald says his snap count may be limited while he learns the playbook.
Injuries (final report, per NBC Chicago and Seahawks.com):
- Out: RB Kyle Monangai (thumb and toe), his fourth straight missed game. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson carry the load. TE Cole Kmet is out for the season with a knee injury.
- Back: TE Colston Loveland (neck) was a full participant Saturday with no designation. LB TJ Edwards (hamstring) practiced fully and is expected to play. LB Jack Sanborn is cleared from the concussion protocol.
- Questionable: LB D’Marco Jackson (ankle) and CB Malik Muhammad II (toe).
The Seahawks: A Great Defense and a Quarterback Under Fire
Seattle’s defense leads the league in yards allowed and in opponent yards per play, according to SI, and it allows the fewest explosive passes in the NFL, per Covers. The offense is less impressive. It ranks 24th in EPA per play, and Sam Darnold is tied for the league lead with eight interceptions, four of them under pressure.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the league with 867 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches. Devin Bush told the Daily Herald that stopping the run early is the key to limiting Seattle’s passing game.
- Offensive line: LT Charles Cross (ankle) is out. G Anthony Bradford is questionable.
- Running game: Seattle averages under 4.0 yards per carry. Zach Charbonnet (returning from a torn ACL) and Jadarian Price are expected back, per the Daily Herald.
- Other injuries: WR Rashid Shaheed and RB Velus Jones Jr. are out, LB Uchenna Nwosu is doubtful, and QB Drew Lock is questionable with an elbow injury.
- Home record: Seattle has covered once in four home games this season, per SI.
The Matchups That Matter
The Bears’ pass rush against Darnold and a line without Cross. This is the best edge I can find. Darnold has faced the highest pressure rate per dropback in the league, per Covers, and the Bears’ blitz-heavy approach is going to test whoever replaces Cross at left tackle.
Williams against a defense that takes away the big play. Seattle allows the fewest explosive passes in the NFL, so Williams needs to be patient. Chicago’s offense has to win with efficiency, not highlight throws.
Smith-Njigba against a banged-up secondary. With Muhammad questionable, the Bears will be stretched, and Smith-Njigba is the league leader in receiving yards. If Chicago can’t get Seattle behind the sticks, the defense has to survive his targets.
The run game on both sides. Chicago’s run defense is shaky, and Seattle’s rushing offense is below average. If Seattle commits to the run to protect Darnold, the Bears need Simmons to make a difference.
Turnovers. The Bears have forced 10 takeaways, and Darnold has eight picks. This is where I think the game gets decided.
What Actually Decides It
The market likes Seattle by a field goal, and I understand why: home field, the league’s best defense and a Bears team missing its lead back and its starting tight end. But Chicago is 5-2, 5-2 against the spread and has the quarterback who is playing more cleanly right now.
If the Bears take the ball away and Simmons helps at all, I like our chances. If the game turns into a field-position fight against that Seattle defense, I’m less sure. I’ll go with the Bears in a close, low-scoring game, in line with the under at 46.5.
My Final Score Prediction: Chicago Bears 24, Seattle Seahawks 21
The post Game Bears vs. Seahawks Prediction November 2nd: Jeffery Simmons Arrives, Charles Cross Doesn’t, and Caleb Williams Faces the NFL’s Best Defense appeared first on UrbanMatter.
