SEATTLE — Geno Smith did little to distinguish himself in his battle with Drew Lock for Seattle’s starting quarterback job as the sloppy Seahawks fell 27-11 to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night in the second preseason game for both teams.
The Seahawks had planned to start Lock but turned to Smith when Lock tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. That meant another opportunity for Smith, who started last weekend at Pittsburgh, but his uninspired performance suggests Lock still has a chance to win the job.
Smith finished 10 of 18 for 112 yards and was hampered by teammates’ mistakes while playing the first half. His only drive where Seattle threatened to score ended when Jason Myers missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.
Second-year Bears quarterback Justin Fields made a brief appearance and led a field-goal drive. Backup Trevor Siemian threw a touchdown pass, and Elijah Hicks recovered a muffed punt for a Chicago TD.
Even by the low standards of the preseason, the Seahawks turned in an awful performance.
The Bears led 24-0 before Seattle finally got on the board on Darwin Thompson’s 8-yard TD run with 2:08 left.
Penalties and dropped passes made the Seahawks’ offense choppy and listless. Rookie first-round pick Charles Cross was flagged four times in the first half at left tackle, three of those for false start. Bo Melton, Freddie Swain and Dareke Young had drops.
Exacerbating Seattle’s offensive troubles was a right ankle injury suffered by starting left guard Damien Lewis early in the second quarter. Lewis was inadvertently rolled up by Bears defensive lineman Angelo Blackson.
Lewis was down for several minutes and eventually had an air splint put on his lower right leg before being loaded on a cart and taken off the field. Seattle’s interior offensive line depth was already thin before Lewis’ injury.
Siemian threw a 1-yard TD pass to Jake Tonges and Hicks corralled Cade Johnson’s muffed punt at the goal line late in the first half to give the Bears a 17-0 lead. Third-stringer Nathan Peterman led a drive in the third quarter that ended with Darrynton Evans’ 1-yard TD run.
FIELDS’ DAY
Fields played one series in the first quarter. He was 5 of 7 for 39 yards and led the Bears to a 35-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.
INJURY CONCERNS
Chicago lost a couple of players to injuries. Linebacker Matt Adams suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter. He’s been playing in the spot normally occupied by Roquan Smith, who is in a contract dispute with the team. Backup running back Trestan Ebner suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn’t return.