The Seattle Seahawks will take on the Chicago Bears in their only home game of the 2022 NFL preseason on Thursday. Geno Smith and Drew Lock, who will miss this game after testing positive for COVID-19, are competing for the open quarterback position in Seattle after Russell Wilson was traded to Denver in March. Both received playing time last Saturday as the Seahawks suffered a 32-25 loss at Pittsburgh in their preseason-opener. Chicago made Matt Eberflus’ head-coaching debut a successful one last weekend after it posted a 19-14 victory against Kansas City.
Kickoff from Lumen Field in Seattle is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Seattle is a 3.5-point favorite in the latest Seahawks vs. Bears odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 39. Before making any Bears vs. Seahawks picks or NFL bets, be sure to check out the NFL predictions from SportsLine’s Josh Nagel.
Nagel is a Nevada-based handicapper with more than 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry. SportsLine’s assistant managing editor has covered the wagering industry on a variety of platforms and has won numerous sports handicapping contests. He has hit 56 percent of his NFL spread picks since the start of the 2017 season and has a documented 40-22 record on all SportsLine proposition-bet specials, which includes a 5-0-1 mark in the 2019 NFL conference championship games.
In addition, Nagel has gone 17-6 on his last 23 picks involving the Seahawks, returning $1,040. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Nagel has zeroed in on Bears vs. Seahawks and just locked in his NFL picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks and analysis. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Seahawks vs. Bears:
- Seahawks vs. Bears spread: Seattle -3.5
- Seahawks vs. Bears over/under: 39 points
- Seahawks vs. Bears money line: Seattle -175, Chicago +150
- SEA: Seahawks allowed 185 yards on the ground in their preseason opener
- CHI: Bears recorded a 25-24 comeback victory at Seattle in Week 16 of the 2021 season
- Seahawks vs. Bears picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears
Why the Seahawks can cover
Smith is entering his fourth season with Seattle and appeared in four games last year, including his first three NFL starts since 2017 with the New York Giants. The 31-year-old completed 68.4 percent of his pass attempts in those contests for 702 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Smith was 10-of-15 for 101 yards versus Pittsburgh on Saturday and also ran for a touchdown.
Seattle moved the ball well in its preseason opener against the Steelers. The Seahawks scored 25 points and piled up 339 total yards. The run game was impressive as Seattle averaged 6.1 yards per carry on the ground. Deejay Dallas led the way with 73 yards, while Travis Homer added 41 yards on the ground.
Why the Bears can cover
Chicago replaced the fired Matt Nagy in late January with Eberflus, who had spent four seasons as Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator. The 52-year-old watched the Bears limit Kansas City to 52 yards on the ground in their preseason opener and win the turnover battle 2-0. Defensive tackle Trevon Coley, who played on Eberflus’ defense with the Colts in 2019, made a pair of sacks against the Chiefs after signing with Chicago on Aug. 5.
Justin Fields was on the field for three possessions on Saturday, completing 4-of-7 pass attempts for 48 yards. The 23-year-old, who was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is looking to improve upon a rookie season in which he threw for 1,870 yards and seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 12 games (10 starts). Trevor Siemian, a 30-year-old journeyman who is looking to nail down the No. 2 quarterback job, was 7-of-13 for 89 yards and a pair of TDs versus Kansas City.
How to make Bears vs. Seahawks picks
Nagel has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Bears vs. Seahawks on Thursday? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see Josh Nagel’s Seahawks vs. Bears picks, all from the NFL expert who’s 17-6 on his last 23 picks involving Seattle, and find out.