This was one of the strangest weeks of football I can remember. That doesn’t mean there were no upsets or that there were otherworldly performances from players. It was just a strange day of football, with a team winning without completing a pass and another team losing two quarterbacks on a total of four drives. Will the weirdness continue tonight, or will the Bears and Seahawks have a fun and exciting game tonight?
The Chicago Bears are one of the more exciting teams in football. They are 5-2 for the season with a 2-1 road record, and they now have their quarterback under center again, giving them a dynamic and exciting offense. However, this will likely be the hardest game of their early season. They are facing one of the best defenses in football, and it may be a struggle for the Bears to get that offense rolling. Caleb Williams will need to use his legs and arm to give the Seahawks different looks.
I will say that I wonder just how good the Bears actually are this season. Their wins were against the Panthers, Eagles, Jets, Falcons, and Patriots. Their losses were against the Vikings and the Packers. The Panthers could be a playoff team, and the Patriots should make it to the postseason, but the only ones that have a greater than 50% expectation of making the playoffs are the Vikings, Packers, and Patriots. The team just went out and traded for Jeffery Simmons to bolster the defense, and perhaps that will make the difference.
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The Seattle Seahawks are the defending champions, but their team has struggled a bit this season. Sure, they’ve shown flashes of excellence. Some of their games have been very impressive, and the team is 4-3 for the year, but there are also some questionable games. They’ve lost to the Commanders, 49ers, and Broncos. Two of those three are almost certainly destined for the postseason. The wins have been over a bad Chargers team, the Patriots, the Cardinals, and last week, the Chiefs.
What exactly is the issue, then? The defense is elite, the team has a decent schedule, and the offense is ranked 12th in the NFL in yards per game. Honestly, it is hard to pinpoint. Sam Darnold hasn’t been very good this season, and the running game has struggled. The team is averaging just 113.7 yards per game on the ground, which is about middle of the pack. Darnold, though, has thrown eight touchdowns and also eight interceptions. Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be the best receiver on the planet, and if he were off the team, it probably wouldn’t have a passing game either.
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I think this game is likely to go under the 46.5 total. The Bears are a good enough offensive team, but I don’t think we can count on them to be quite as effective tonight. The Seattle defense and the home crowd should be very active tonight. The Bears’ defense is not great, but they play a style that should be perfect for this game. They bend but don’t break. The Seahawks’ offense is just not great at getting into the end zone right now. Smith-Njigba should have a good game against an inferior secondary, but it all depends on whether the Seahawks offensive line can give Darnold enough time and Darnold makes the right reads. Give me under 46.5. I do lean to Seattle covering as well.
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