5 things to watch in Bears vs. Seahawks

There's nothing like capping a holiday weekend with a matchup between the Bears (4-10) and the Seahawks (5-9).

The Bears won the last meeting, 24-17, on Sept. 17, 2018. Prior to that, the Seahawks took three straight dating back to 2011.

The Bears are out of the playoffs, and the Seahawks have only mathematical hopes and not realistic ones. A disastrous season in Seattle will fuel more debates about whether this should be Russell Wilson's last in a Seahawks uniform.

There are storylines to pay attention to. Here are five.

1. NFL's worst pass defense

The Seahawks sport the last-place pass defense in the NFL. Their defense is allowing 273.9 yards per game, which is last in the league. The defense has allowed 300 passing yards or more in six of 14 games.

The Seattle defense ranks 31st in sack rate and 26th in interception rate. This is exactly the type of defense a quarterback should feast on.

The Bears' passing attack has shown flashes of brilliance in a few games - the first half against Green Bay earlier this month, the second half against Pittsburgh in November. There's no reason the Bears can't do it against this Seattle secondary.

2. Can Thomas Graham Jr. repeat his performance?

Bears rookie cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. was the breakout star of last week's loss to Minnesota, benefiting from several players ahead of him on the depth chart missing time due to COVID-19.

His role could be reduced if either or both Artie Burns and Jaylon Johnson are back. Graham could certainly make an argument to see more playing time, even if those two return. It will be worth watching to see if he follows up on an impressive debut.

"He trusted his technique," Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. "That was a big point of emphasis for him. When you can do that, you play your proper leverages, you can let your talent show."

3. Weather a factor?

Seattle could be cold, wet and snowy. That could effect the game in various ways. As much as 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected, with most of it likely between Saturday night and Sunday night. That's a rare accumulation for a city that averages about 5 inches of snow yearly.

Since moving outside to Lumen Field in 2002, the Seahawks have played only two home games in snow, the most recent in 2008. This could make for a sloppy, run-heavy game.

It doesn't help these teams both rank among the bottom 10 in scoring, even when the weather is favorable.

4. Robert Quinn's quest for Richard Dent's record

For the second week in a row, the Bears will face a team that ranks in the bottom five in protecting its quarterback. The Seahawks allow opponents to pressure Wilson on 27.2% of dropbacks, tied with the Vikings for fourth-worst in the NFL. Wilson has been sacked 29 times, tied for 10th-most among quarterbacks ... and he also missed three games with a finger injury.

Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn is 1.5 sacks shy of Richard Dent's team record of 17.5 in 1984. Two more sacks will set a Bears team record (sacks have been a stat since 1982). Quinn has four multi-sack games, so it's entirely possible he could do that Sunday.

5. Wagner vs. Smith

Bobby Wagner and Roquan Smith won't actually be on the field at the same time, but in a lot of ways this will be a showcase for two of the NFL's premier inside linebackers. Wagner earned his eighth Pro Bowl nod this week, while Smith was snubbed again.

Wagner leads the NFL in tackles with 88 solo tackles and 158 combined tackles. Smith ranks fifth in solo tackles with 81 and fourth in combined tackles with 140. The Bears believe Smith is one of the game's best inside linebackers. He has a chance to show it going against a six-time first-team All-Pro.

"It's a travesty to me he's not getting those accolades," Desai said.