A busy Week 17 continues, as the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears face off on “Thursday Night Football.” Come chat with us in our open thread.
Week 17 kicked off with a Christmas Day doubleheader on Wednesday, but the NFL doesn’t rest during the holiday season, and as Thursday arrives, so does “Thursday Night Football” with a game between the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) and Chicago Bears (4-11).
While the Bears have been eliminated from playoff contention, the Seahawks are one of just a few remaining NFC teams to have a shot at the postseason. Currently, four NFC teams have clinched a playoff berth (Detroit Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Eagles) and the Commanders are on the precipice of securing their spot this weekend. That leaves the teams from the NFC South and West in situations where they need to win their division if they want to make the playoffs.
For the Seahawks, they are currently one game back behind the Los Angeles Rams, and do not hold the tiebreaker. However, if the Seahawks beat the Bears, they’ll have a chance to win the NFC West because they play the Rams in Week 18.
If the Seahawks beat the Bears, and then knock off the Rams in the season finale, they’ll move to 10-7 on the season. Even if the Rams beat the Cardinals and move to 10-6, a loss to the Seahawks would put them at 10-7 and they’d go to tiebreakers. Both teams would be 10-7 and 4-2 in the division, which would lead them to the third tiebreaker: record against common opponents. That’s good news for the Seahawks because they would have a 7-4 record against common opponents, while the Rams would be just 6-5.
Betting line and pick for the game
The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Seattle in this game with the betting line being set at Seahawks -3.5 points. I’m not expecting this one to be close. While the Seahawks are on a two-game losing streak (to the Vikings and Packers), this is a must-win game for them. Meanwhile, the Bears players are already making plans for vacations in the offseason, and with a coaching staff that won’t return in 2025, everyone is just looking to get things over with.
Prediction: Seahawks 23-14
Here’s how to watch tonight’s game:
Seahawks at Bears
Date: Thursday, December 26, 2024
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV (stream): Amazon Prime
Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung (field reporter)
Additional online Streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube, NFL+ Premium
Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments!
