Seahawks vs Bears Odds & Picks Week 17: Seattle To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive in TNF Battle

Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks travel to Chicago as 3.5 point favorites against the Bears in Week 17 Thursday Night Football action. Oddsmakers set this total at 43.5, just above the key number of 43.

Seattle hopes to keep its playoff hopes alive after a tough loss vs. Minnesota last week. Meanwhile, the Bears are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak and lots of tough questions are being asked about the organization. The firing of head coach Matt Eberflus hasn't injected any life into this team and interim coach Thomas Brown is still searching for his first win. 

Get ready for this NFL Week 17 Thursday Night Football showdown and check out all the Seahawks vs. Bears and my favorite bets: 

Seahawks vs Bears Odds Week 17

Seattle Seahawks vs Chicago Bears, December 26th, 8:15 pm ET

Odds via Bet365 as of Dec. 23

Seahawks vs Bears Week 17 Picks

Seahawks ML (-180)

I bet Seattle's moneyline before Week 16 kicked off to lock in a sweet -126 moneyline price over on our expert picks page. Obviously -180 is a far cry from -126, but believe it or not, I actually still like it because there has been some good news for Seattle since I made my bet.

The Bears lost two starting offensive lineman in Week 16. Left Tackle Braxton Jones and Guard Tevin Jenkins both went down and Jones will definitely miss this game and Jenkins likely will too. Their subtractions are a big deal because, even when healthy, the Bears have struggled mightily to keep Caleb Williams upright. Williams has been sacked 7+ times in three games this year. 

These injuries will likely force Larry Borom back into the starting lineup. Borom is bad. PFF.com ranks Borom 128th out of 132 tackles in run blocking and 94th out of 132 in pass blocking.

The Bears rank 31st in the NFL, according to FTNFantasy.com at defending #2 wide receivers and Seattle has a really good one in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba (93 reception, 1,089 yards, 6 TD) should be able to terrorize the Bears secondary just like Lions receivers did in Week 16.

Seattle's defense has allowed 27+ points the last two weeks against strong opponents (Packers and Vikings), but with the step down in class I expect them to look more like they did in prior weeks when they allowed 15.5 points per game in a four-game stretch vs. Arizona, San Francisco, the Jets and Arizona again). 

Seahawks vs Bears Week 17 Props

Seahawks vs. Bears NFL Week 17 Props aren't yet available at most sportsbooks. Be sure to check back as kickoff grows closer for my best bets. 

Seahawks vs Bears News

The Bears had two offensive lineman get hurt in Week 16 and not return to the game. Left Tackle Braxton Jones went down and was carted off the field so he has virtually no chance of playing in this game. Guard Tevin Jenkins, arguably the Bears best offensive lineman, left too and his status is very much in question. 

Seattle lost running back Kenneth Walker in Week 16 and he was deemed "doubtful" to return which suggests the injury is slightly more on the serious side. Keep an eye on the practice participation reports this week to see if Walker can return on a short week.

Right now the weather forecast at Soldier Field calls for 7 degree temps and no precipitation. However, there is rain precipitation expected on Wednesday and Friday so watch the weather closely to see if that changes. 

Seahawks vs Bears Week 17 Betting Trends