Seahawks vs. Bears | NFL Week 17 Breakdown & Best Bets

Christmas has come and gone. Kicking off Week 17 on a Wednesday felt strange but you’ll never catch me complaining about more football. The Chiefs started the day off with a dominant win over the Steelers, moving them to 15-1 on the season.

After the Chiefs handed out coal in Pittsburgh, it was Lamar Jackson and company taking care of business in Houston. The Packers were the first team to completely shut out an opposing team this year, that happened on Monday Night. Well last night, the Ravens held the Texans to TWO total points and held the Texans offense completely scoreless.

It was an ugly two games with both games being decided by nearly 4 scores.

Tonight we kick off Week 17 with a battle in the NFC. The Seahawks are desperate for a win to keep their post-season hopes alive and the Bears are hoping to finish the year on a positive note, and hopefully play spoiler to the Seahawks.

It’s Thursday Night Football, let’s jump right into my favorite props tonight.

Here are our best bets for the Seahawks vs. Bears

• D’Andre Swift o12.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
• Jaxson Smith-Njigba o68.5 Receiving Yards (-110)

Seahawks @ Bears Game Information

Soldier Field; Chicago Illinois

Matchup Information

• Location: Soldier Field; Chicago, Illinois
• Date: Thursday, December 26th, 2024
• Kickoff: 8:15 PM EST

Quarterback Matchup

• Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith (8-7; 2024 – 262.5 YPG | 17 TD | 15 INT)
• Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams (4-11; 2024 – 218.1 YPG | 19 TD | 5 INT)

Betting Odds

Odds via BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world.

Run Line

• Seattle Seahawks -4 (-115)
• Chicago Bears +4 (-105)

Money Line

• Seattle Seahawks (-220)
• Chicago Bears (+180)

Total

• Over 42.5 (-110)
• Under 42.5 (-110)

Get 50% up to $1,000 on your NFL picks today at BetOnline

Seahawks vs. Bears Analysis & Breakdown

Bird Gang

Geno Smith and the Seahawks have had the exact definition of what you would call an up and down season. They started the year 3-0 then proceeded to lose 3 straight games. After a 20-point win IN Atlanta, they lost back to back games at home and then proceeded to rattle of 4-straight wins.

The Seahawks are now coming off back to back losses, once again at home. They now travel to Chicago to take on Caleb Williams and the Bears. Geno Smith has thrown 17 touchdowns this year, but he’s also thrown 15 interceptions. He hasn’t been amazing but he’s also done a lot to win them games this year.

The 15 interceptions are the most he’s thrown since his rookie year with the Jets and now he’s thrown 8 interceptions in his L7 games. The Hawks are desperate to get back in the win-column and keep their playoff hopes alive. Geno Smith stands to make a significant bonus to finish the year if he can help this Seattle team secure a spot in the post-season.

The Windy City

What’s there to say about the Chicago Bears. They started the season by winning 4 of their first 6 games and getting the hopes of Bears’ fans everywhere, sky high. Since then, the Bears have lost 9-straight games, including 4-straight games at Soldier Field. 

It’s been tough to be a Bears’ fan this year but if there’s one thing that could help this make this city feel just a little bit better, it would be spoiling the Seahawks shot at the post-season. 

Seattle currently needs a win above all else. A Seahawks win today and a win in LA against the Rams next week could secure the NFC West and a playoff berth for Geno and company. A loss to the Bears would eliminate the Seahawks and bring their season to a screeching halt.

Chicago’s failed to score more than 20 points in 8 of their L9 games, averaging just 14 points per game in their L3 games. The Seahawks have shown competence on the defensive side but still rank 17th in pass yards allowed, 18th in rush yards allowed and 19th in first downs allowed.

The Bears are beyond due for a bit of an offensive explosion and the Seahawks have been making their fans sweat all year. This one should be no different.

D’Andre Swift o12.5 Receiving Yards (-110)

Swifty no Swifting

D’Andre Swift against this porous Seahawks defense could be the matchup he’s been waiting for. Over their L10 games, the Seahawks have allowed starting RBs to average 2.8 receptions per game and 26.5 receiving yards per contest. Of these 10 starting RBs, 8 of the 10 recorded 22 or more receiving yards.

Swift’s utilization in the pass game has been sporadic this year, but with the way the snap share has gone in this back field, Swift should be in store for a big day. He’s playing over 70% of the Bears’ offensive snaps, he’s cleared this line in 10 of 15 games this year and in 6 of the Bears’ 8 home games.

Swift is averaging 29.2 receiving yards per game at Soldier Field this year and he’s doing it on just 2.8 catches per home games. The Bears’ are passing the ball 60% of the time and it’s been an emphasis of this Chicago offense. Caleb Williams has been great, he’s thrown 19 touchdowns and looks to get better every week.

Tonight we’re rolling with Swifty to get the job done.

D’Andre Swift o12.5 Receiving Yards (-110) via BetOnline

Get 50% up to $1,000 on your NFL picks today at BetOnline

Jaxson Smith-Njigba 68.5 Receiving Yards (-110)

Big reason the Seahawks are even in contention for the NFC West is this Seahawks pass game; mainly these Seahawks receivers. Last week we saw both D.K. Metcalf and Jaxson Smith-Njigba get into the endzone and we saw JSN record 8 catches for 90 cards to go with his tudder.

Geno Smith is averaging 262.5 pass yards per game and Jaxson Smith-Njigba has emerged has his favorite target this year. He’s averaging 8.4 targets per game, 6.2 receptions and 72.6 receiving yards per game.

JSN has scored 6 touchdowns this year and now lines up against the Bears 22nd ranked pass defense. Chicago’s allowing 225.2 passing yards per game this year and rank 2nd last in yards per completion allowed to their opponents.

Not only has the Bears’ pass defense big MID at best, but they’ve especially struggled against the opposing slot receiver. This year, we’ve seen a plethora of wide receivers that play dominantly in the slot, dominate this Bears’ secondary.

For example, Jauan Jennings saw 8 targets, caught 7 for 90 yards and TWO touchdowns. Another example to look at is Amon-ra St. Brown; St. Brown plays over 54% of his snaps from the slot and he recorded 70+ receiving yards against this Bears’ secondary.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba plays over 80% of his snaps from the slot and he’s quickly turned into Geno’s go to guy; whether it’s late in the game or their very first drive. JSN is always open and look for Geno to continue finding him today, on Boxing Day. 

Tonight look for more of the same, Smith-Njigba should once again see a heavy target share and look for him to take advantage of the soft Bears’ secondary.

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Jaxson Smith-Njigba o68.5 Receiving Yards (-110) via BetOnline

Get 50% up to $1,000 on your NFL picks today at BetOnline

To Recap, NFL Bets for December 26th, 2024:

In the Seahawks vs. Bears game on Thursday Night Football, we’re rolling with 2 props. D’Andre Swift o12.5 Receiving Yards (-110) & Jaxson Smith-Njigba o68.5 Receiving Yards (-110); both via BetOnline

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