Bears vs. Seahawks Preseason Week 2 NFL Picks: Seattle Will be Aggressor in Its Second Preseason Game
The Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks are alone in the spotlight as the only preseason game on Thursday night. We’re breaking down the best betting angles with our Bears-Seahawks picks.
Matt Eberflus was one of 10 new head coaching hires around the league when the Bears named him their head man. He'll put on the headsets for the second time as a head coach, while Seattle’s Pete Carroll's 278 regular-season games are the third-most by an active head coach.
However, like Eberflus, the established Carroll is similarly trying to sell something to his organization’s fan base, as the team experiences life without Russell Wilson under center for the first time since 2011.
Here are my picks and predictions for Thursday’s Week 2 preseason matchup between the Bears and Seahawks (odds via BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook).
Bears vs. Seahawks Game Info
Date/Time:
Thursday, Aug. 18, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Weather: 62 degrees, 34% chance of
precipitation, Wind north 5 mph
Bears vs. Seahawks Odds Analysis
The Seahawks opened as 3-point favorites and have been bet up as high as -5 at Caesars. As of early Tuesday morning, Seattle was the far more popular side in terms of tickets (78%), but the cash was split 50-50.
The 2-point line movement on the point spread pales in comparison to the 3.5-point line move the total has experienced. The Over/Under opened at 39 and is now sitting at 42.5 at most sportsbooks. There is good two-way handle on the total thus far, as 72% of the bets and 54% of the cash is on the Under.
Bears vs. Seahawks Picks
Bears vs. Seahawks ATS Pick
Seahawks -4.5 (-110)
While Chicago knows that Justin Fields is its unquestioned starting quarterback this year and for the foreseeable future, Seattle is still trying to get extensive looks at Drew Lock and Geno Smith to see if either separates himself from the other in the coming weeks.
Therefore, the Seahawks will likely be more competitive throughout the preseason, as they have the luxury of playing two quarterbacks who have made 55 combined NFL starts.
Though the Seahawks lost their first preseason game 32-25 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lock and Smith were the only two quarterbacks to see action, and they played well. The two combined to complete 70% of their passes, had two touchdowns to zero interceptions, and owned a combined quarterback rating of 110.8.
Seattle’s 25 points were the most by a losing team in Week 1 of the preseason, while Chicago’s offensive effort in its 19-14 win against the Kansas City Chiefs was less than inspiring.
Carroll is 26-17-1 against the spread in the preseason, and we expect him to be aggressive again while trying to learn more about his offense, leading to another cover.
Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR.
Bears vs. Seahawks O/U Pick
Under 42.5 (-110)
We disagree with the considerable line movement driving this total up, as these two teams are each dealing with short weeks, having last played on Saturday. That alone should force each coach to be more cautious with their potential starters, and we should see more of the second- and third-string units than we saw last week.
In addition, one of the biggest reasons for Chicago’s lack of offensive fluidity last week was shoddy offensive line play. The Bears allowed five sacks in total, but, most importantly, two came to the Chiefs’ first-string defense in Fields’ limited action. As a result, Chicago was reportedly working out Teven Jenkins at right guard in an effort to find an offensive line combination that gels.
Chicago should be healthier in this matchup, as wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., running back David Montgomery, and tight ends Cole Kmet and James O’Shaughnessy are back at practice. However, cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. also returned to practice, and I expect the Bears' defense to be bolstered more by those additions in this game than their offense is by the others.
Where to Bet on Bears vs. Seahawks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.
Bears vs. Seahawks picks made 8/16/2022 at 7:24 a.m. ET
Related Articles
