The Seattle Seahawks will be in Chicago to take on the Bears for this week’s edition of Thursday night football. While the Bears season is over, the Seahawks are still fighting for a playoff spot. When these two teams coming off losses face off, who will turn things around and be the winning NFL pick at the top-rated sportsbooks?
NFL Pick
- Seattle Seahawks -3.5 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears
Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 08:15 PM ET at Soldier Field
Seahawks’ Playoff Dreams
While the Seahawks had the opportunities against the Minnesota Vikings (that’s not in question), they came up short once again falling 27-24. The Seahawks failed to take advantage of their opportunities and now could be on the outside looking in when it comes to making the playoffs.
The Seahawks appeared to be in the driver’s seat to win the NFC West until two straight losses to NFC North opponents knocked them out of contention. The Seahawks are currently 8-7 and second in the NFC West. However, if the season ended today, it would not be enough and they would fall short of the playoffs.
The Seahawks do still have a slim chance to make the playoffs but they will have to win their last two games. So we should see a great effort from this team against the Bears. However, it will probably be too little too late.
Is Geno Smith Enough?
The Seahawks are led by quarterback Geno Smith, who is a good player, but probably not good enough to get the team where it needs to be.
Smith has thrown for almost 4,000 yards this season, but he has an average TD-to-interception ratio of 17-15. This is simply too many turnovers and the team is going to have to look for a new quarterback to reach the heights that it once had. With Geno Smith under center, the Seattle Seahawks’ ceiling is fairly low.
The Seattle Seahawks have a strong young defensive minded coach in Mike Macdonald who has work cut out for him because the defense is only playing average. The Seahawks are 17th in the league in yards allowed. The Seahawks have also played very well on the road this year and are 5-1 on the road.
Bears’ Dark Future
The Chicago Bears put forth another embarrassing performance on Sunday when they fell to the Detroit Lions. The Bears are 4-11 this year and have lost nine games in a row.
Although the Bears have an exciting young quarterback in Caleb Williams, the team’s overall talent is not there and the coaching and front office are horrible. Never have I seen a team with such a great quarterback prospect have such bleak prospects for the future.
The way this organization is running it’s hard to see them turning things around anytime soon. The Bears fired their head coach during the season and will be looking for a new head coach this offseason. For now, they are playing out the schedule but don’t have a lot of hope to compete.
The Bears are 31st in total yards per game at only 294.5. Their defense is 27th in the league at yards giving up at 359.3 yards per game. Neither side of the ball is getting things done and the last two games of the season could get ugly for Chicago.
Key Matchup: Seattle’s Offensive Line vs. Bears Defensive Line
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith does not do well under pressure and the Bears need to put pressure on him if they’re going to have a chance to get an upset. With their season on the line, we can expect the Seahawks to pull out all the stops to try and win this game. Do the Bears have one last stand in them? If so, we will see it on the play of the defensive line.
If the Bears can put pressure on Smith and keep this to be a low-scoring game, they do have a good chance to cover the spread or even get the upset. If the Seahawks can block the Bears’ pass rush, I would expect a big day through the air for the Seahawks and a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Pick
The Bears have given up on their season. Their coach is gone and most of the players will be playing in different uniforms next year. Although the players will give their best once they’re on the field, I don’t expect much from the Bears in terms of preparation for the game this week.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks will be giving all their effort during the preparation for the game this week. The Seattle Seahawks will improve their road record to 6-1 and cover the spread.
Take the Seattle Seahawks -3.5.
NFL Pick: Seattle Seahawks -3.5 (-110) at Bet365
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