• The Seattle Seahawks likely need a win over the Chicago Bears on TNF to stay in playoff contention
• The Seahawks have lost two straight but the Bears have dropped nine in a row
• See the Seattle Seahawks vs Chicago Bears predictions, picks, and best odds for Thursday Night Football

The Seattle Seahawks (8-7, 5-1 away, 6-8-1 ATS) aren’t officially dead in the NFC playoff race, but back-to-back losses have dropped them from the hunted to the hunter. Due to complex tiebreaker scenarios that involve overall strength of victory between the Rams (9-6) and Seahawks, Seattle likely needs to win out to have any chance of reaching the postseason, and that still may not be enough. The good news for Seattle is that they square off with the Chicago Bears (4-11, 4-4 home, 6-7-2 ATS) on Thursday Night Football in Week 17, a team riding a horrendous nine-game losing streak.

Seattle Seahawks vs Chicago Bears Predictions

• Seahawks -2.5 (-155) at BetMGM Odds as of Dec. 25 at BetMGM. Claim the Week 17 BetMGM bonus code and join the BetMGM rewards program after sign-up. 

The Bears were at least competitive up until around Week 14. Six of their first eight losses this season were one-score games, and four were by a field goal or less. But the last three weeks have seen a marked departure. Chicago has been outscored 102-32, getting dominated on both sides of the ball by the 49ers (38-13), Vikings (30-12), and Lions (34-17).

If there’s a Wikipedia entry for teams that quit on the season, the Bears should be the most recent entry.

I don’t have much love for the Seahawks. They have a sub-par defense, and QB Geno Smith is proving mistake-prone week after week. They are at least trying to win though, which is more than one can confidently say about the Bears at this stage of the season.

Seattle actually outgained Minnesota by a sizable margin in their 27-24 Week 16 loss (361-298 yards). The fact that they also committed the only two turnovers of the game and took 11 penalties for 77 yards sealed their fate in the narrow loss.

I’m not prepared the lay the full 3.5 points with the Seahawks on the road. Chicago’s 34-17 loss to Detroit in Week 16 was just the second time this season they’ve lost at home by more than a field goal. But I do think Seattle’s effort and desperation will be enough for the Seahawks to pick up a much-needed win in hostile territory.

Seahawks vs Bears: Best Odds

The Seahawks vs Bears spread is generally Seattle -3.5 but Caesars has raised the line half a point to Seattle -4.0, meaning it’s the best book for anyone looking to bet the Bears ATS at the moment, with Chicago +4.0 priced at -110. The best ATS option for Seattle backers is -3.5 (-110), which is available at both BetMGM and bet365.

Not coincidentally, BetMGM and bet365 also have the best moneyline price on the Seahawks (-200). ESPN Bet has the longest odds on a Chicago victory at +180.

Most books have the game total at 42.5 with -110 odds both ways but there are a couple that don’t. FanDuel is the best option for over bettors, listing 42.5 at -105 odds, while DraftKings is by far the best option for under bettors, raising the total a full point to 43.5 with minimal extra juice on the under (-112).

SEA vs CHI Public-Betting Splits & Percentages

The NFL public betting splits for Thursday Night Football show the public strongly backing the visitors both against the spread and on the moneyline. As of early Thursday morning, Seattle was getting 78% of ATS handle and a massive 87% of moneyline handle.

The public also has a strong lean to the over, with 72% of game-total handle on the over so far. Seattle is 8-7 O/U this season, but Chicago has been one of the better under bets in the league, going 6-9 O/U through the first 15 games.