SEATTLE @ CHICAGO (SEA -3.5, 42.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
SEAHAWKS @ BEARS 12/26/24
With the playoff season looming on the horizon, all eyes are fixed on the Seattle Seahawks as they find themselves in a high-stakes position. They need to secure a win against the Bears tonight to keep their playoff dreams alive. Even then, their playoff future remains hazy due to the strength-of-victory tiebreaker.
Looking at the current stats, if the Seahawks manage to overcome the Rams in Week 18, they will finish the season at 10-7 with a split season series of 1-1. However, the tiebreaker might tilt in favor of the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks need a win and they need it badly.
The Seahawks faced a setback when they lost to the Vikings last week, knocking them out of wild-card contention. Despite a nail-biting final 5 minutes, Minnesota grabbed the win with a 39-yard touchdown pass by QB Sam Darnold.
Geno Smith, Seattle’s quarterback, remains undeterred, reminding his team that they have to win two games to stay in the competition.
This Thursday’s game will see Zach Charbonnet, with a team-best eight rushing touchdowns, taking the lead in the backfield as Kenneth Walker III has been ruled out due to injury. Walker, who leads the team in rushing yards and carries, recently went down with an ankle injury during the game against the Vikings. The Seahawks will also be without Brady Russel and K'Von Wallace due to foot and ankle injuries respectively.
On the other side, the Bears have nine-consecutive losses, the latest one to the Detroit Lions. Nonetheless, their rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams, continues to showcase his potential. He has been developing along with rookie WR Rome Odunze. The duo combined for 77 yards against Detroit.
The Bears will miss the presence of Elijah Hicks, Tarvarius Moore, Travis Homer, and Teven Jenkins due to various injuries in the upcoming game. Chicago is just 2-6-1 ATS in its last nine games and they have just one win in their last five home games this season.
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COACH RICK Free PICK
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA OVER 72.5 RECEIVING YARDS
This is pretty much a no-brainer. Njigba has gone Over his receiving yards total in eight straight games. He’s also gone Over this number in seven straight. He’s gone Over 100 yards twice in that seven-game span and he’s coming off a 95-yard performance last week. Njigba is QB Geno Smith’s favorite target and you know he’ll keep going to him against a suspect Bears pass defense. The Bears rank 22nd against the pass and over the last three weeks they’ve dropped to 29th. Last week, they allowed 329 passing yards to Minnesota.