The Chicago Bears managed to pass their first major test on Thursday night by beating the New England Patriots, the AFC’s Super Bowl representative last season. Most agree that the far bigger one comes next Monday night when they head to Seattle to face the world champion Seahawks. While not looking as dominant as they were last season, the team remains an imposing threat, as their 20-3 domination of Kansas City just proved. However, that victory came at a price, especially on offense. Left tackle Charles Cross departed the game and did not return.
Details as to why emerged the following day. It appears the former 1st round pick suffered a high ankle sprain. While not as bad as it could’ve been, the injury is still a tough one for Seattle. It means Cross is likely to miss at least one game recovering. That means he will not be available for the matchup against Chicago, who will be getting Montez Sweat back from his suspension. There is no getting around it. This is a tough blow for the Seahawks. He’s been by far the better of their two tackles this season, allowing 15 pressures in 7 games. Seattle’s offense was already struggling. Their run game has dipped considerably to 17th, while Sam Darnold has as many touchdowns as interceptions (8).
Charles Cross being out is significant.
Seattle has done a good job protecting Darnold since last season. However, in the few instances when opponents have managed to put him under pressure, his play has significantly declined. Against Denver and San Francisco, he was sacked 10 times and threw 4 interceptions to just 1 touchdown. It was much the same last season. When Darnold was harassed, he became mortal really quick. Thankfully, it didn’t happen much because Seattle’s offensive line managed to stay healthy.
Not this time. Charles Cross being out is a tough blow. It will likely force the Seahawks to give backup Josh Jones extra help against the Bears’ exotic pressure packages. Chicago’s objective now becomes pretty straightforward:
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
- Stop the run
- Double cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Throw several different looks at Jones to overwhelm him
Smith-Njigba is the entire Seattle offense. If he doesn’t play well, they struggle a lot. They are 2-3 in games where he has less than 150 yards. That should tell you how slim the margins are. Stopping him is unlikely, but the Bears should make slowing him down their first and second priorities.
The defenses will decide this game.
In the Bears’ case, the question is whether they can reach the 21-point mark. Four of Seattle’s six losses since the beginning of 2025 have come when opponents accomplish that objective. Caleb Williams and the offense will face a tough task. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were smothered on Sunday night. They’d been having a strong season up to that point. The Seahawks’ dominance over them so thoroughly shows how dangerous that defensive unit still is. Then again, Bears head coach Ben Johnson loves a challenge.
On the flip side, can the defense continue finding ways to slow down their opponents? Allen has been really good at frustrating opposing quarterbacks lately. He’ll have Sweat back and a healthy Kyler Gordon. If they can just stop Smith-Njigba from going crazy and take advantage of the Cross injury, this is a game they can win. Just try to avoid turnovers and don’t get away from running the ball.
