Seahawks Bears Betting – Bears’ Defense Comes Up Big Against Seattle ‘Dogs
If you placed a sports betting wager on the Seattle Seahawks last week, you likely are still feeling the high of that massive upset over the defending Super Bowl champions. Seattle’s next stop is the Chicago Bears, where they won earlier this season, but the Bears were missing one of their best defensive players. Look for the defense to show what they’re made of this weekend.
- What: NFL betting
- When: Sunday, January 16th, 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Pick: Chicago Bears -10
What’s On The Line
The Seahawks pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NFL playoff betting history, beating the defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints 41-36 as a 10-point underdog, and they got arguably the best game of Matt Hasselbeck’s career. Awaiting them are the NFC North champion Bears, who have said they want to avenge a 23-20 loss at home to the Seahawks in Week 6. Seattle will be looking to make more history this weekend, while the Bears just want payback, and to move to the next round, of course.
Offensive Matchups: Seahawks Bears Betting
Hasselbeck played as well as he ever has, going 22-of-35 for 272 yards, four touchdowns and only one pick, and he even showed a deep ball that many figured he had lost. However, it wasn’t all Hasselbeck as Marshawn Lynch ran for 131 yards and scored one of the best touchdown runs you will ever hope to see, breaking eight tackles (including a disgusting stiff-arm on the Saints’ Tracy Porter) en route to the end zone. They’ll have good memories of their win over the Bears as Hasselbeck, the rushing game and Mike Williams all played extremely well, but they were coming off a bye week; can they do it again?
Chicago’s offense was 30th in the league offensively, and their problems stemmed from a terrible line that gave up 56 sacks, the most in the league. Six of those sacks came against the Seahawks, and if Chicago is going to get their revenge, Jay Cutler has to have time in the pocket. They also didn’t run the ball in the first game, which means they’re going to have to get the ball to Matt Forte. The Bears still need some skill players around Cutler to make Mike Martz’s offense really work, but the first goal has to be that offensive line.
Betting Edge: Draw
Defensive Matchups: Seahawks Bears Betting
Let’s not overlook the fact that Seattle’s defense was absolutely terrible against the Saints, allowing 474 yards. The Seahawks finished the regular season 27th in the league on this side of the ball, and they’ll need to tighten up against the Bears. Like we said, the Seahawks had six sacks in their first meeting with the Bears, and they were outstanding on third down, stopping Chicago on all 12 of their attempts. End Raheem Brock had a sack in the first game, and he had another one in a great performance against the Saints, so the Seahawks will need a similar effort.
The Bears came in ninth defensively, and in the first meeting with Seattle, linebacker Lance Briggs didn’t play. Having a Pro Bowl linebacker on the sidelines will definitely change your attack, so we don’t think Seattle will run for 111 yards like they did in the first place as the Bears were second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers in terms of yards allowed on the ground, and we definitely don’t think Lynch will be breaking eight tackles and stiff-arming people into the end zone. Look for end Julius Peppers to make a much bigger impact on the game than he did in Week 6, as the Bears need to pressure Hasselbeck.
Betting Edge: Bears
Notable Injuries: Seahawks Bears Betting
Linebacker Lofa Tatupu (concussion) should be able to go, but watch him carefully this week, while receiver Ben Obomanu (shoulder) should also be ready for the Seahawks.
The Bears enter this game with a clean bill of health.
Betting Edge: Bears
Outlook and Pick: Seahawks Bears Betting
NFL betting lines have made the Bears a 10-point favorite at Soldier Field, where they are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five meetings with the Seahawks dating back to 1990. Of course, there was that Week 6 loss, but like we said, the Seahawks were coming off a bye. This time, it’s the Bears that are coming off a bye and they’ll be ready this time. The line actually improved as the season progressed, and they didn’t have Briggs on defense in Week 6. The Seahawks had their raucous crowd behind them last week, but they’ve been terrible away from Qwest Field, going 2-6 SU and ATS this season. Seattle can’t catch lightning in a bottle two weeks in a row, and you can look for the Chicago defense to dominate this game in cold Chicago. Seattle is cold, but it’s nowhere near Chicago cold. Bet on the Bears to cover the online betting spread.
