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CHICAGO — The way Jay Cutler got knocked around, Lawyer Milloy and the Seattle Seahawks couldn’t wait for this game.
When it came, they delivered another beating.
Matt Hasselbeck threw for a season-best 242 yards and a touchdown and Seattle’s defense sacked Cutler six times in a 23-20 victory over the Bears on Sunday.
Cutler was in trouble much of the game, and completed just 17 of 39 passes for 290 yards. He missed last week’s win at Carolina with a concussion after being sacked nine times by the Giants in the previous game.
“We were licking our chops, the way the Giants had success,” said Milloy, who had one of those sacks.
Cutler insisted he felt fine no matter how sickening this performance was. At least the Seahawks were blitzing, something the Giants rarely did two weeks ago.
Either way, it was another ugly afternoon for the Bears.
“I felt fine physically,” he said. “There was never any concern with that. I felt fine out there playing. We didn’t get it done today. It’s very simple.”
For all the blows he absorbed, Cutler did not take the game’s biggest hit.
That came in the closing minutes when Devin Hester ran a punt back 89 yards, equaling an NFL record with his 13th kick return for a touchdown. During the play, Earl Bennett lowered his shoulder and leveled punter Jon Ryan. Ryan stayed down for several minutes before walking off with a rib injury.
Coach Pete Carroll said he wasn’t sure how serious it is.
The Seahawks (3-2), coming off a bye week, got a needed lift by beating a team that was tied for the league’s best record. Chicago fell to 4-2.
Seattle had made several big moves since a loss to St. Louis two weeks ago, trading receiver Deion Branch back to New England and acquiring Marshawn Lynch from Buffalo hoping he could ignite a stagnant running game.
“(It’s) kind of like a training camp, and hopefully, three or four weeks from now, we’ll be hitting the ground running,” Hasselbeck said. “Marshawn can just relax and play, (Brandon) Stokley can just relax and play.”
Lynch ran for 44 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth that made it 23-13 and capped a 92-yard drive, but Hasselbeck was the one who provided the big lift.
The veteran completed 25 of 40 passes, with Mike Williams setting career-highs with 10 catches and 123 yards. Justin Forsett also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown.
It was a rough day all around for the Bears, who fell to 4-2 with their second loss in three games.
Cutler was sacked three times in the third quarter alone, including one by Jordan Babineaux for a safety early in the half that bumped Seattle’s lead to 16-13.
“It’s on me,” Cutler said. “It’s on the offensive line, it’s on the receivers. We’ve got to go in tomorrow, look at the film, make some corrections somewhere along the line and figure it out. I’ve got to get the ball out quicker. We’ve got to identify who’s coming and who’s not and receivers have got to see it.”
The Bears were 0 for 12 on third downs. And with Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs nursing a left ankle injury, a defense that has been solid couldn’t bail them out.
“They kept us off balance. We were on our heels today,” safety Chris Harris said.
Cutler was out of sync in the early going, completing just 1 of 5 passes in the first quarter even though things looked promising at the start.
Seattle’s Roy Lewis got called for pass-interference on a deep ball along the right sideline intended for Hester on the game’s second play from scrimmage, a 58-yard penalty that set up a 6-yard TD run by Matt Forte.
Hasselbeck immediately led the Seahawks on an 80-yard drive, with Deon Butler beating Charles Tillman on the left side for a 22-yard TD catch that tied it and silenced the crowd.
Seattle grabbed the lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter, when Forsett scored on a 9-yard run.
Notes
Hester and Brian Mitchell are now tied for the NFL record with 13 kick returns. They are also tied for second with nine punt returns for touchdowns, one behind Eric Metcalf. … With Briggs out, Brian Iwuh started at weakside LB. … Chicago dropped Todd Collins to third QB after he threw four interceptions last week and had Caleb Hanie as the backup. … Chris Williams started for the injured Roberto Garza at left guard after missing three games with a hamstring injury. He had started the first two at left tackle. … The Seahawks held out DT Brandon Mebane because of a calf injury and lost CB Kelly Jennings to a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
