Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald praised his players for their “poise” and called cornerback Devon Witherspoon a “leader” after a 6-3 win over the Chicago Bears that was the lowest-scoring points win in the team’s history.
Field goals from Jason Myers in the first and second quarters, two Leonard Williams sacks and Riq Woolen’s crucial interception of Caleb Williams’ late pass kept the Seahawks’ slender playoff hopes intact.
Bears fans created an unusual backdrop as they watched their team suffer a 10th straight defeat, booing at the end at Soldier Field and calling for their team to be sold.
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Seahawks ‘stuck together’ vs Bears
PICKED! The Riq Woolen comes down the interception for the @Seahawks to seal it. pic.twitter.com/i01rH3XeDd
— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2024
“To play in an atmosphere like that, our players deserve a lot of credit for their poise,” said Macdonald. “They stuck together throughout.
“They faced adversity throughout the game. Our defence deserves a lot of credit; they played really hard. We had an opportunity to win at the end and the guys did a great job.”
Witherspoon’s six tackles surpassed any of his teammates, including three for loss and a first sack of the season when he ran Williams out of bounds for no gain.
The 24-year-old set the tone for an impressive display with an early challenge on D’Andre Swift for a seven-yard loss, leading to a Bears three-and-out.
The @Seahawks with their seventh sack right before the two-minute warning#SEAvsCHI on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/syCt9TA6F3— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2024
Devon Witherspoon ‘infectious’
“This guy’s a leader,” Macdonald said of Witherspoon. “He’s in his second year but he’s grown so much as a leader.
“He’s going to be someone we’re going to depend on for a long time here. We love him because of the energy, the competitiveness and the person.
“His love of the game and his teammates is infectious. How can you not play 1,000% when 21’s on the field doing the stuff that he does? He’s a force multiplier.”
The Seahawks’ previous victories involving the lowest combined points came in a 9-6 win over the Detroit Lions in 2006 and a triumph by the same scoreline against the Cleveland Browns in 2001.
Seattle’s most likely path to the playoffs would be via the Los Angeles Rams losing to Arizona Cardinals on Saturday (8.10pm ET). The Seahawks would then potentially need to win at the Rams the following Sunday.
