Colston Loveland had already given Seattle an opening. A few minutes later, he helped make sure the Seahawks couldn’t squeeze through it.

His fourth-quarter fumble was the mistake that changed the mood at Lumen Field on Monday night. Chicago had been controlling the game, but Seattle converted the turnover into a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Suddenly, the Bears’ lead was down to 20-17.

What followed was the kind of response that can disappear behind the final score. Chicago won 34-17, Kalif Raymond supplied a crucial 39-yard gain and D’Andre Swift finished the drive with a touchdown. Ben Johnson wanted another player recognized for making that sequence possible.

“I think the guy, the unsung hero of that play for it to be as big as it was, was Colston,” Johnson said on Bears, etc..

Loveland’s contribution came a long way from where the play began. Johnson explained that the tight end worked across from the backside, hustling into position to help Raymond before blocking two defenders. That effort helped turn a promising gain into the play Chicago needed to regain control.

The Bears had made the situation harder on themselves. A delay-of-game penalty pushed them from third-and-4 to third-and-9 at Seattle’s 44-yard line. The crowd had reason to believe the defense could force a stop and give the Seahawks a chance to take their first lead.

Instead, Caleb Williams delivered the ball to Raymond, who accelerated through the blocking and reached the Seattle 5. Raymond brought the speed. Several teammates supplied the route.

Johnson credited Rome Odunze for getting the play started against tight coverage and Darnell Wright for another important block. Then came Loveland, arriving from the opposite side to extend what Chicago could get out of the call. Swift scored on the next play, putting the Bears ahead 27-17.

For Loveland, that block was part of an immediate response to his worst moment of the night. Earlier in the same possession, with Chicago facing second-and-11, Williams found him for a 12-yard completion and a first down.

The quarterback went back to his tight end. Loveland caught the ball and moved the offense forward. Neither contribution erased the fumble. Both mattered to what happened afterward.

That is an important distinction in a game that offered Chicago plenty to celebrate and plenty to correct. The Bears didn’t need Loveland to undo the previous possession. They needed him to execute his next assignment, then keep doing it as the drive continued.

He finished the evening with seven catches for 65 yards. His receiving production helped Chicago sustain possessions against one of the league’s strongest defenses, but Johnson’s praise highlighted a responsibility that will become increasingly important without Cole Kmet.

Replacing Kmet requires more than finding another target for Williams. Chicago also needs dependable blocking and players who can handle assignments that allow someone else to make the highlight.

Offensive coordinator Press Taylor made that clear during his Thursday press conference.

“It’s not going to be one person steps in and does what Cole was able to do,” Taylor said.

The responsibilities will be shared, with the approach changing according to the opponent and what Chicago needs each week. Loveland is a major part of that solution, even when the ball is headed elsewhere.

Raymond’s gain offered a particularly valuable example. Loveland could affect the outcome from the backside because he kept working toward the play. The opportunity to help appeared after the ball was delivered, and he was there to take it.

That makes Johnson’s choice of praise fitting. The most obvious images from the play belong to Williams releasing the ball and Raymond racing into space. Loveland helped create the ending.

Seattle had turned his mistake into a three-point game. When Chicago needed its answer, he contributed with a catch, a first down and the kind of block his head coach wanted everyone to notice.