CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Bears tight end Cole Kmet has so often been the voice of hope on behalf of his football team, setting an optimistic tone amid disappointing results.
So after the Bears lost 6-3 to the Seahawks on Thursday night at Soldier Field, what was there for Kmet to say?
“Not much,” Kmet said. “Not much.”
There was nothing positive to glean from the Bears’ 10th consecutive loss, nor was there any hope to be found in it for the future. In a Bears season full of disappointing performances and misery, this was the most repulsive game of them all.
The Bears managed just 179 yards of offense and 3.1 yards per play against a middling Seahawks defense. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked seven times. The Bears had 11 first downs and seven punts.
On the other side, Chicago’s defense proved to be stout against Seattle’s offense, which had plenty of its own miscues along the way, in the lowest-scoring NFL game of the season. It was a completely forgettable football game from the opening kickoff until the final seconds, when Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith took a knee in victory formation. Of course, it was never supposed to be like this.
In the Bears’ vision before the season, this primetime game in late December along Chicago’s lakefront was supposed to be another step in their journey to the playoffs, with a sellout crowd and a national showcase of Chicago's bright future led by Williams.
Instead, the Bears have been dysfunctional around Williams, who struggled all evening in completing 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and an interception. Rather than a night of cheers for the Bears, there was a different refrain echoing from the Soldier Field faithful late in the game.
“Sell the team,” Bears fans chanted in frustration to the McCaskey-led ownership group.
For the 23-year-old Williams, his rookie season has been baptism by fire on how to lead a broken franchise.
“Their frustrations go way longer back than I’ve been here,” Williams said. “My job is to go out there and win games. We don’t focus on the outside noise. The fans are going to cheer and maybe boo sometimes. You can’t react to that. It's not something we react to. We have a job to do.
"Frustrating, annoyed, but learning, I would say. I think this is going to be good for me. I'm excited about this last game and excited about the future.”
Despite their struggles, the Bears were in position to potentially tie the game or earn a victory in the final minutes as they began a drive at their own 11-yard line with 5:12 remaining as they trailed 6-3.
Their ensuing series lasted 13 players but traversed just 49 yards while burning too much time. It included a false-start penalty by the Bears on fourth-and-inches from their own 39-yard line, after which interim head coach Thomas Brown decided to punt with 2:14 remaining. Changing his mind, Brown then called a timeout and sent the offense back out on the field.
Williams made a play. Scrambling desperately amid pressure, he hit receiver DJ Moore for a 14-yard gain on fourth-and-5. The Bears drove as far as the Seahawks’ 40-yard line before their drive stalled and then ended on Williams’ first interception since Oct. 13. A few plays earlier, Brown had used a timeout amid confusion after a Bears incompletion with 31 seconds left, meaning he burned two late timeouts without either one actually stopping the clock.
The Bears have now lost 10 straight games for the second time in three seasons. They did the same to end the 2022 season, a rebuilding year led by then-rookie general manager Ryan Poles and then-rookie head coach Matt Eberflus.
Those struggles weren’t all that surprising given the state of the Bears’ roster in 2022. But to do the same this season – one that was billed with such great hope – is a remarkable indictment of everybody involved.
One game remains in a lost Bears season, then comes an offseason that will bring yet another coaching search and perhaps greater change at Halas Hall.
This was just another poor performance by the Bears amid another miserable losing streak. What’s there to say? Not much, indeed.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on X @CEmma670.