3 Up, 3 Down: Seahawks Fail From Top to Bottom in Late-Game Collapse vs. Bears

Ty Dane Gonzalez breaks down the three best and worst performances from the Seahawks' 25-24 loss to the Bears.

With a postseason berth off the table and no first-round draft pick in 2022, the final three games of the 2021 season hold little-to-no meaning for the Seahawks. Winning or losing is inconsequential; all that's essentially at stake are personal achievements and pride. 

But on a snowy afternoon in downtown Seattle, the Seahawks not only lost their Week 16 bout with the 4-10 Bears—they lost their pride in the process. Carrying a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, they had every chance to put Chicago away. Instead, self-inflicted wounds on offense and a lethargic defensive effort led to their eventual 25-24 defeat in the closing minutes. 

These are dark times in the Pacific Northwest's football landscape, and this one game could tell the entire story of how it's all come to be. I'll spare you, my dear reader, the dissection of Pete Carroll and the future of the organization because you'll see plenty of it in the days to come, and for good reason. For now, let's go over the best and worst individual performances from Seattle's 10th loss of the year. 

3 Up

RB Rashaad Penny

Given the unideal weather conditions, Seattle needed a viable run game and Penny went above and beyond to provide just that. Leading the team with 17 carries, the fourth-year back effortlessly weaved through running lanes, slipped off tackles and doled out punishment all afternoon long. Two of his touches went for 25 and 32 yards, respectively, as he wrapped up the day with 135 yards and one touchdown in total. The late-season revelation continues for the former first-round selection. 

TE Gerald Everett

Statistically speaking, this was Everett's most productive game of the season. He found himself open in some big spots, reeling in four of five targets for 68 yards and a score on a nice corner route in the third quarter. He also helped spring Penny's touchdown on an impressive kick-out block down near the goal line. Unfortunately, this will be overshadowed by a brutal false start penalty on the Seahawks' final drive of the game, which turned a 4th and 1 situation into 4th and 6. Nevertheless, Everett deserves a nod for what came before. 

DE Carlos Dunlap

Where was this version of Dunlap earlier in the season? Going radio silent for most of 2021, the 12-year veteran has been on a tear over his last two games. He was an absolute menace to rookie tackle Teven Jenkins and the Bears' offensive line on Sunday, adding 2.0 more sacks to the 3.0 he recorded against the Rams five days ago. Those were nearly accompanied by a pair of turnovers as well, but an official's review turned a called forced fumble into an incompletion by quarterback Nick Foles, who was later stripped by Dunlap for real before the ball bounced directly to a pair of Chicago linemen. 

3 Down

QB Russell Wilson

The overall numbers for Wilson won't look bad, especially for the first snow game of his illustrious career: 16 completions on 27 attempts for 181 yards and two touchdowns. But the role he played in the Seahawks' fourth-quarter implosion is undeniable, throwing for just 25 yards combined over the team's final three drives and taking an awful sack that had serious ramifications. Up 24-17 with a little over eight minutes left in the game, Wilson's situational awareness went out the window as he attempted to spin out of incoming pressure and extend a 3rd and 4 play from the Bears' eight-yard line, only to be sacked by defensive end Robert Quinn for a loss of 13 yards. This turned a potential game-sealing, chip-shot field goal attempt for Jason Myers into a 39-yarder, which the veteran kicker missed. Call it hyperbole, but Seattle likely wins this game if Wilson simply throws it away. 

LB Bobby Wagner

We'll get more into the overall defensive struggles for Seattle in a moment, but Wagner was especially bad on Sunday. Sure, he led the team with 12 tackles on his way to notching a new single-season high in that department, but it was the ones he didn't make that ultimately stand out at the end of the day. On numerous occasions, Chicago ball carriers either slipped out of Wagner's grasp or managed to evade him outright. This was the case on a pair of key third downs, in which the future Hall of Fame linebacker was in great position to stop each play well short of the sticks. But thanks to a lack of execution and speed, he failed. That's been a running theme for Wagner, who's unfortunately been hit hard by regression in 2021. 

Defense

The Seahawks kept running back David Montgomery in check and Dunlap, Rasheem Green and Al Woods had solid games, but that was about it. In the end, the Bears amassed 317 yards of total offense, a 50 percent conversion rate on third down and a time of possession of 38 minutes and 25 seconds, then capped it all off with an 80-play scoring drive to win the game—all with Foles making his first appearance since December 27, 2020. Enough said.