Seahawks vs. Bears Betting Odds, Prediction, & Pick
Seahawks vs. Bears Odds
| Seahawks Odds | -5 |
| Bears Odds | +5 |
| Over/Under | 41.5 |
| Date | Thursday, December 26 |
| Time | 8:15 PM ET |
| TV | Prime Video |
On Thursday, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks will visit Soldier Field to play Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks enter play one game behind the Rams in the NFC West, likely needing a win to keep their division title hopes alive. Williams and the Bears are simply looking to build some positive momentum that they hope could carry into 2025.
Ahead of kickoff, oddsmakers have priced the Seahawks as 5-point road favorites on the spread. The total is set at 41.5 points.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks.
According to RotoGrinders Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth, there are “likely to be some spotty rain showers moving in and out” tonight in Chicago, though he forecasts that those rains will remain “fairly light” during the game. As always, be sure to utilize RotoGrinders NFL WeatherEdge tool to see how current weather conditions could have an impact on the action.
Seattle Seahawks Preview
Walker placed on injured reserve
Earlier today, Seattle placed RB Kenneth Walker on injured reserve due to an ankle injury he suffered in last week’s game against the Bears. In his absence, Zach Charbonnet is expected to assume the bulk of the team’s workload out of the backfield.
In 4 games that Walker has missed this season, Charbonnet has received 62 of the team’s 78 rush attempts that have gone to the running back position, including 13 of 16 red-zone carries and all 6 goal-line attempts. Charbonnet could once again find himself in the end zone this evening, facing a Chicago run defense that ranks 25th in EPA/play and 22nd in success rate since Week 8.
What to expect from Seattle defense
Since Seattle’s bye week, they have been one of the better defensive units in the entire NFL, ranking 6th in EPA/play and 12th in success rate. They have been particularly good against opposing rushing attacks, ranking 5th in rush EPA/play and 7th in rush success rate in that span.
Seattle has allowed a lot of points the last two weeks to the Packers and Vikings, but that has been more a result of untimely turnovers from the offense than anything else. Green Bay only had 369 yards of total offense against Seattle in Week 15, and Minnesota was held under 300 yards of total offense in Week 16. This is a unit that is rounding into form at the right time of the year.
Chicago Bears Preview
Williams improved decision making offers hope for Chicago offense
After throwing 5 interceptions in his team’s first 6 games in 2024, Caleb Williams entered Week 17 with the 5th-lowest rate of turnover-worthy throws in the league since Week 8. During that time period, he is the only quarterback in the entire NFL (min. 100 dropbacks) to avoid throwing an interception.
Unfortunately for Bears’ fans, Williams’ improved play hasn’t led to a single win since the team’s Week 7 bye. During that stretch, the team’s offense ranks 27th in EPA/play and 29th in success rate. The primary contributing factor has been an inability to protect Williams.
During Chicago’s 9-game losing streak, no quarterback has been sacked more than Williams. In fact, Williams has been sacked 12 more times than any other starting quarterback in that span. Though the offensive line deservedly gets their share of the blame, Williams hasn’t helped himself either. Only Will Levis has turned pressures into sacks at a higher rate than Williams since Week 8.
The Bears will need to figure out a way to avoid negative plays this evening if they hope to score more than 20 points for the first time in over a month.
Bears defense struggling
As bad as Chicago’s offense has been during their losing streak, there is an argument to be made that their defense has been even worse. Since Week 8, the Bears’ defense ranks 30th in EPA/play and 29th in success rate. Notably, they rank 22nd or worse in success rate against both the run and the pass, so they haven’t made any part of the game difficult for their opponents of late.
The absence of CB Jaquan Brisker has been a significant contributing factor to their struggles. From Week 1 to Week 5, with Brisker healthy, Chicago’s defense ranked 4th in EPA/play and 5th in success rate. They led the entire NFL in EPA/play allowed to opposing passing attacks and were on their way to establishing themselves as one of the truly elite “no-fly zones” in the NFL.
As currently constructed, this unit is likely to be overwhelmed in most matchups.
Seahawks vs. Bears Prediction
Even on a short week, this is a low total for two teams that are likely to throw the ball a lot this evening. Since Week 11, both of these teams rank in the top-11 in pass rate. In neutral game scripts, Seattle has been the 5th pass-heaviest team in the league during that span. The weather forecast isn’t ideal tonight in Chicago, but these are still relatively moderate conditions overall, meaning that they shouldn’t have a tremendous impact on the outcome of the game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see these offenses find a way to combine for nearly 50 points this evening given the offensive weapons both of these teams possess.
PICK: Over 41.5 (-110, DraftKings)
Image Credit: Getty Images