The Seattle Seahawks head to Soldier Field tonight to take on the struggling Chicago Bears in a Week 17 TNF showdown. With playoff hopes still alive for the Seahawks and the Bears simply looking to play the spoiler role, this game is loaded with betting opportunities.
We’ve got the best bet and prediction for tonight’s TNF matchup and you’re not going to want to miss out on this game.
Seattle comes into this game as a 4-point favorite (-4 at -110) with a moneyline of -225. Honestly, we were thinking the spread would be a bit more than just 4 given the Bears being on a 9 game skid, but we’ll run with it.
The Bears, on the other hand, sit at +180 to pull off an upset.
The over/under is set at 42.5 points, which feels like the bookmakers have some skepticism about Chicago's ability to keep up with Seattle’s offense and we can’t blame them.
The Seahawks (8-7) are looking to secure a wild card spot, while the Bears (4-11) are firmly in rebuild mode. Seattle will look to make the most of Chicago's defensive collapse in the second half of the season, where they rank 30th in opponent EPA per play and success rate since Week 11.
All in all, this is looking like a perfect game to load up the bet slip with.
Seattle’s passing game, led by Geno Smith, has been the team’s strength for the most part. They rank 4th in passing yards per game with a decent 244.5. Smith doesn’t have the clout that some other QBs have, but he’s getting the job done.
Smith has thrown for nearly 4,000 yards this season with 17 touchdowns but will need to limit critical turnovers against a Bears defense that struggles against the pass.
Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has come out as one of the top targets, with 6 TDs on the season and back-to-back games with 12 targets. He’s heating up and doesn’t look like he’s going to cool off any time soon.
With the Bears’ secondary licking their wounds after allowing some big plays to the Lions in Week 16, Smith-Njigba is set for another strong game.
On the ground, Seattle’s rushing attack has been fairly inconsistent and will be without Kenneth Walker III due to his ankle injury. However, we still think Seattle will work the ground a bit as the Bears rank 26th in rushing defense, giving Seattle’s secondary backs a bit of opportunity to shine.
For Chicago, rookie QB Caleb Williams has shown a few flashes of promise throughout the season but he continues to face some growing pains with 5 interceptions in his last 3 games. Now, it’s not all his fault. The Bears’ offensive line has struggled quite a bit as well, leaving Williams vulnerable against defenses with even a half-competent pass rush. The Seahawk's pass rush isn’t the best, but they probably have what it takes to keep the pressure.
The Seahawks' defense, ranked 6th in opponent rush EPA since Week 10, will likely focus on shutting down D’Andre Swift, who has averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. We’re thinking that Chicago will potentially increase their passing rate to give Williams some more reps before the end of the season and this could play into Seattle's hands, as they rank 17th in passing yards allowed per game.
Seattle has lost their last 2 games but showed some fight in a narrow loss to the Vikings last week. Chicago, on the other hand, has dropped 9 consecutive games and failed to even score more than 20 points in 8 of those losses. So, you can see how we’re thinking this game will unfold.
The Seahawks have a few paths to success in this matchup.
Chicago’s defense is in absolute shambles, particularly against the pass, which we feel should allow Geno Smith and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to dominate on mismatches in the secondary.
On the flip side of the ball, Seattle’s defense has more than enough tools to contain the Bears’ inconsistent offense, especially if they force Caleb Williams into erratic passing situations.
BettorsInsider Prediction: Seattle 27, Chicago 17.
Our best bet for Thursday Night Football is to take the Seahawks -4. Chicago’s defensive woes and inability to produce anything remotely close to consistent offense make this a comfortable cover for Seattle as they push toward the playoffs.