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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 21: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks throws against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on December 21, 2021 in Inglewood, California. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by RONALD MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

There are no playoff implications when the Chicago Bears visit the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. We dig into the betting angles with our Bears-Seahawks picks.

To be honest, I stay away from meaningless late-season NFL games like this one Sunday between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. You never really know which team might mail it in. Generally, the home side is the safe wager with all else being equal simply as the fans get the players fired up, especially in a place like Seattle with a historically good home-field advantage.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 16 matchup between the Bears and Seahawks (odds via DraftKings; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Bears vs. Seahawks Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 26, 4:05 p.m. ETTV: FOXLocation: Lumen Field, Seattle, WAWeather: 30 degrees. Winds of 14 mph. Snow accumulation of up to 2 inches.

Bears vs. Seahawks Odds Analysis

Seattle opened as 7-point favorites but is down to -6.5. That is likely because the Seahawks lost Tuesday night at the Los Angeles Rams and have essentially nothing to play for now. While they haven't been officially eliminated from playoff contention, they might be by the time they take the field Sunday.

While the total of 44 hasn’t dropped yet at DraftKings, it has at other books by a half-point or full point likely due to that weather forecast.

Bears vs. Seahawks Picks

Seattle -6.5 (-110) ??Under 44 (-110) ???

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Bears vs. Seahawks Predictions

Seattle -6.5 (-110)

This could be the final game as Bears head coach for Matt Nagy. The franchise has never fired a head coach in season, but a new NFL rule that allows teams to interview current NFL assistants starting Dec. 28 might lead to the Bears dumping Nagy to get ahead of things.

It’s a short week for both teams. The Bears lost at home 17-9 on Monday night against Minnesota, gaining 370 yards of total offense to the Vikings 193, but they kept shooting themselves in the foot in the red zone.

Seattle had its Week 15 Sunday game at the Rams moved to Tuesday because of COVID issues with Los Angeles, and the Seahawks lost 20-10 to ensure their first losing season since Russell Wilson was drafted in 2012. I believe that one fewer days of rest and preparation for the Seahawks is mitigated in that this game is home. The Bears have just two away wins this season, and one was in the final seconds at awful Detroit.

Chicago is 0-5 against the spread in its past five road games and has lost eight straight games as an underdog overall, losing by an average margin of 11.9 points. Seattle is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against teams with losing records.

Under 44 (-110)

I definitely like the total better than the spread and the potential weather forecast is one reason. It’s also impossible to believe that the Bears will score more than 20 points because they rarely do. They went up and down the field Monday against Minnesota but either turned the ball over, had a stupid penalty or a turnover on downs. Justin Fields clearly has talent but he still makes terrible decisions at times. Chicago’s minus-13 turnover differential is third-worst in the NFL

I’m not sure what’s wrong with Wilson, who is having easily the worst season of his career. Maybe that injured finger is still bothering him, but it also doesn’t account for numerous off-target passes or poor decisions by him over the past six games. Three times in the second half Tuesday, Wilson underthrew otherwise open receivers. He had DK Metcalf alone for touchdowns twice in the second half and couldn’t hit him.

One of the best deep-ball throwers of his generation, Wilson completed just one of nine throws of more than 10 yards down the field against the Rams. It was the fourth time in the past six games that the Seahawks were held to 15 points or fewer. Former Pro Bowl receiver Tyler Lockett missed Tuesday’s game in COVID protocols but his potential return Sunday wouldn’t change my mind about this total play. They're not likely to have many explosive plays, and neither will the Bears.

Chicago played great defensively against Minnesota despite its entire secondary being in COVID protocols and those guys will likely be cleared by Sunday. Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks played in his first game since Nov. 8 in Pittsburgh had two sacks. Robert Quinn had a sack and has 16 on the season. Defense isn’t the problem in the Windy City.

The Under is 10-2 in Seattle’s past 12 versus teams with a losing record and those games have an average combined score of 38.1 points. The Under is 9-4 in Chicago’s past 13.

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Bears-Seahawks picks made on 12/22/2021 at 2:38 p.m. ET