The Seattle Seahawks defense showed in Week 7 just how overwhelming they can be as they made life challenging for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Seattle’s defense held the Chiefs’ offense to three points and 213 total yards as the Seahawks went on to win the Week 7 matchup. Now, they get another interesting offense in Week 8 as they’ll face the Chicago Bears.
Ahead of the game, Seahawks’ Byron Murphy II shared his excitement about facing the Bears’ starting QB Caleb Williams, as this could be a potential playoff matchup later in the season.
“[Williams] can make any type of throw from anywhere on the field,” Murphy said during an Oct. 29 appearance on Seattle Sports. “He’s very mobile. He knows how to stay alive. When there’s nothing downfield, he knows how to stay alive long enough to create something downfield, just throw it up and get the ball to one of his guys.
“We’ve got to do a great job plastering on the back end, containing him, keeping him in the pocket, and making him step up in the pocket instead of rolling out and trying to scramble everywhere.”
Williams has played 285 total snaps for the Bears so far this season as he’s missed time with an injury, leading to a 72.6 overall PFF grade.
In the passing game, the Bears star has thrown for 1,020 yards and five touchdowns against one interception while recording five big-time throws and three turnover-worthy plays. Meanwhile, in the run game, he’s added 107 scramble yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Byron Murphy II Excited to Face Bears’ Offense in Week 8
Nonetheless, along with facing Williams, Murphy is up for the challenge of facing the entire Chicago offense led by head coach Ben Johnson, who will be doing his best to avoid the Seahawks limiting his group to only three points, as they did against the Chiefs.
“I like a challenge, so it’s going to be fun come Monday,” Murphy added. “I’m looking forward to going out there, attacking their O-line, creating that bag, and just playing in their backfield all game long. It’s going to be a battle.”
Mike Macdonald on Preparing for Chicago’s Trick Plays
Meanwhile, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald will be on the other side trying to stop Johnson’s offense, and while speaking to the media on Oct. 29, he was asked about preparing for the trick plays that the Bears head coach can scheme up.
“I think you want to see those plays in practice,” Macdonald told reporters. “But I think it’s a function of whether you’re looking at the right stuff and whether you’re a disciplined defense. I’m not saying trick plays only work against undisciplined defenses. They obviously game-plan them and work really hard on them to have the confidence to use them in some of those higher-leverage situations.
“It’s definitely an awareness on our part to know that those things are on their menu and that they can get to them. But it’s really the case anytime the ball is snapped. It’s a function of how well we can play our rules and play together as a defense, whether it’s a trick play or a dive play. It’s really the same mentality, honestly.”
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