Noteworthy for CHI vs. SEA on MNF Ben Johnson & Mike MacDonald have faced off twice as offensive & defensive play callers. They are 1-1 head-to-head. ➡️ 1st Meeting 2023 W7 @ BAL BAL beat DET 38-6 Goff was 33/53 passing, 284 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT & 5 sacks. MacDonald’s Ravens D held DET to 68 yards rushing on 14 total carries, 11 of those by Gibbs. Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter & 28-0 at the half. (Hence why the 50+ pass attempts by Goff). Lions didn’t score until 4th quarter with a TD + failed 2 pt conversion. Time of possession was about 50/50. Both teams had 1 turnover. Lions record was 12-5 that season. Ravens were 13-4. ➡️ 2nd Meeting 2024 W4 in DET on MNF DET beat SEA 42-29 Goff was a perfect 18/18 passing, 292 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT & 3 sacks. DET also had 116 yds rushing on 28 carries, with both Gibbs (78 yds) & Montgomery (40 yds) splitting carries about 50/50. Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first 15:02 minutes and never trailed. Seahawks had two turnovers (lost a fumble & 1 INT). Lions had no turnovers. Time of possession was only 25:56 for DET because they were so efficient scoring. Lions record was 15-2 that season. Seahawks were 10-7. ➡️ Obviously Bears are a different team for Ben & SEA’s roster has improved vs. 2024. But a few takeaways we can glean from Ben vs. Mike’s previous matchups: 1️⃣ Ben’s offense had more success with a two-pronged rushing attack. Really hoping Monangai will be back. Establishing strong run game early is essential to controlling time of possession & keeping Darnold + Red-Hot JSN off the field as much as possible 2️⃣ It’s very important Bears offense continues scoring early & often in Q1/Q2 like they have in their other 5 wins. And play with the lead or keep it close all game. In both head-to-head matchups, the team that scored first & had lead at halftime won. Also important to note: 🔸 Teams down by more than a FG to SEA at halftime have not beaten them in the last two seasons. 🔸 2nd half down by a TD+ comebacks don’t exist vs their defense. 3️⃣ Bears must create multiple takeaways on defense + play clean ball/limit turnovers on offense/kick return. In their last head-to-head matchup which Ben won, Lions had a +2 turnover differential. Also, in last two seasons: 🔸 Teams who lost the turnover battle haven’t beaten SEA. 🔸 SEA is 22-1 when they don’t turn the ball over more than once. We know that Darnold is susceptible to throwing picks. Dennis Allen continuing to be creative with relentless pressures & blitzing on big downs will be essential to disrupt him & create strip sack or interception opportunities. 4️⃣ How well Bears handle the pressure of playing in the deafening noise of Lumen Field will be critical. In Ben vs. Mike previous matchups, the home team won both games. While Bears fans travel well, this won’t be like CAR or ATL games where Bears fans flooded the stadium & it sounded like a Bears home game. Far fewer SEA fans scalp their tickets or no show. The only teams to beat SEA at home in last two seasons were SF (twice) & TB. Their margin of victory was 4 points or less in each of those games.