updated 1:51 a.m. ET Aug. 17, 2008

SEATTLE - Bloodied and bandaged, Rex Grossman now seems baffled about his fight for the Bears’ quarterback job.

Grossman started and completed 9 of 15 passes with one interception in a harried, sputtering quarter and a half before Kyle Orton led Chicago to a field goal during a crisp two-minute drill in the Bears’ 29-26 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.

Now he hopes this forgettable night won’t matter so much in deciding who starts Chicago’s opener Sept. 7 at Indianapolis.

“This will be my fifth year with this coaching staff. They’ve seen me for four years,” Grossman said, with a cut below the bridge of his nose and a gauze wrap over his bruised throwing forearm.

“I think they should know” about me, he said.

Seattle’s relentless blitzes often left Grossman without time to find a friendly jersey, let alone set his feet to throw. Chicago produced 82 yards, three first downs and no points in 23 plays with the maligned sixth-year veteran, who is 19-11 as a starter. He was sacked once, pressured many more times. He committed one intentional-grounding penalty out of self-preservation.

Orton missed on his first two throws but finished 5-for-9 for 43 yards in two series at the end of the first half. Chicago gained 54 yards in 12 plays with the fourth-year veteran, who started last week at Kansas City and was 7-for-10 for 56 yards.

“I thought my decision-making was pretty good and we had some nice plays down field,” Orton said.

Bears coach Lovie Smith acknowledged he’d like to settle on a starter as soon as possible, with two preseason games remaining.

“But we know a lot more,” Smith said. “Things are becoming clearer and clearer.”

When asked what might be clearer to him after going 13-for-23 for 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception in two preseason games, Grossman all but threw up his bandaged arm.

“I’ve been in the dark this whole time about how they are going about this,” he said of a preseason that began with coaches flipping a coin to determine who would run the first-team in practices.

Bears Pro Bowl kicker Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard field goal as regulation time expired. Then impressive rookie Justin Forsett, who finished with 136 yards on 15 carries, ran the Seahawks from their own 13 into range for fellow seventh-round draft pick Brandon Coutu to kick his fifth goal. Coutu made it from 36 yards 3:28 into overtime.

“Nothing like an overtime in preseason, I always say,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said with a wry smile.

Seahawks Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck rested his tight back. Third-stringer Charlie Frye played the entire game, going 20-for-35 for 209 yards and three interceptions.

Seattle relentlessly blitzed Grossman during his five series, two of which ended with three-and-outs.

Grossman may have had a 66-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett on the second series had he lofted the pass down the hashmarks. Instead, Josh Wilson dived to knock down the line-drive throw and force another punt.

The third series ended in three plays with Grossman’s intentional grounding, as four blitzing Seahawks were about to drill him into the 5-yard line.

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