Bears-Seahawks NFL Week 8: The Last Time Ben Johnson Faced Mike Macdonald

The Chicago Bears' Week 8 primetime matchup on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks will be unlike anything head coach Ben Johnson's team has faced this season. 

Seattle is coming off a 20-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's defense limited Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to 19 of 33 for 165 passing yards and one interception. Kansas City failed to reach the red zone in the primetime loss on Monday Night Football -- the first time that has happened in 153 career starts including the playoffs in Mahomes' career.

CBS Sports' Doug Clawson also noted the Chiefs did not have an explosive play (runs of 10+ yards or receptions of 20+ yards), making that Andy Reid's only time in his head coaching career that has happened (488 games). 

The Chiefs are not the only team that have failed to move the ball against the Seahawks' suffocating defense. 

According to Seahawks ESPN reporter Brady Henderson, "the Seahawks are the first team since the 1984 Browns to hold their first seven opponents under 180 passing yards. They're allowing a league-low 3.99 yards per play, which is the fewest through seven games by any team since the 2019 Patriots (3.96)."

Johnson's team is coming off an impressive win over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-24 win. He also finished 30 of 36 for 305 passing yards and a passing touchdown in Chicago's Week 6 win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

Since Macdonald became the Seahawks' head coach in 2024, Johnson has faced his defense once. In Week 4 of that season, the Detroit Lions hosted the Seahawks at Ford Field. Johnson was the offensive play caller at the time, and Lions quarterback Jared Goff set an NFL record for completing all 18 of his passes in the team's 42-29 win. 

Goff finished with 292 passing yards and two touchdowns. Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams led the team with two receptions for 80 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown reception.

Williams also faced Macdonald's defense in 2024 during his rookie season. The Bears lost that game 6-3 and Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and an interception. 

That was two seasons ago and plenty has changed for the Bears and Seahawks, but Johnson has shown he can put his quarterback in a successful position against Macdonald's defense. The Bears will have to explore every avenue to find a potential weakness in a Seattle unit that has been dominant through the first seven games.

The most passing yards Seattle has allowed to a single quarterback this season is 189 to both Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Brock Purdy (49ers). Seattle's defense has kept opposing running backs in check, giving up a season-high of just 68 yards to the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco wide receiver Mike Evans had 113 receiving yards, which is the most the Seahawks have allowed to any pass catcher this season. 

This Week 8 primetime matchup will provide the ultimate test for Johnson and Williams. But knowing this head coach-quarterback tandem, the final box score won't matter as long as they leave Seattle with a victory, the only metric that truly counts for this Bears team.