Seattle (8-7) at Chicago (4-11)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Seahawks by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Seahawks 6-8-1; Bears 6-7-2.
Series record: Seahawks lead 11-8.
Last meeting: Bears beat Seahawks 25-24 in Seattle on Dec. 26, 2021.
Last week: Seahawks lost to Minnesota 27-24; Bears lost to Detroit 34-17.
Seahawks offense: overall (14), rush (30), pass (4), scoring (15).
Seahawks defense: overall (17), rush (18), pass (16), scoring (12).
Bears offense: overall (31), rush (25), pass (27), scoring (25-T).
Bears defense: overall (26), rush (26), pass (23), scoring (13-T).
Turnover differential: Seahawks minus-7; Bears plus-8.
Seahawks player to watch
QB Geno Smith. The two-time Pro Bowler had one of his better games last week, completing 31 of 43 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, giving him 15 this season.
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams. Williams looked better against Detroit after a string of shaky outings, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns. The No. 1 overall draft pick is sixth on the Bears' single-season passing list with 3,271 yards, and Erik Kramer's franchise record of 3,838 in 1995 is within reach if he plays the final two games. His 326 consecutive attempts without an interception are an NFL rookie record and the most ever by any Bears player. But he has also been sacked a league-leading and club-record 60 times.
Key matchup
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Chicago's secondary. Smith-Njigba once again put up some big numbers last week, when he caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He has 1,089 yards this season, making him the 10th player in franchise history with 1,000 yards receiving and the first since both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in 2020. Chicago had a top-10 pass defense as recently as Nov. 17. Since then, it's been in a major decline. The Bears have given up 865 yards passing and 102 points in the three games since former coach Matt Eberflus — who called the defense — was fired.
Key injuries
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III (ankle) left last week's game and would not have participated had the team practiced Monday and Tuesday. ... Bears LT Braxton Jones suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Detroit and will likely need surgery. ... G Teven Jenkins aggravated a calf injury in the loss to the Lions.
Series notes
The Bears have won the past two meetings after losing three in a row to the Seahawks. They prevailed last time when Nick Foles threw a late 15-yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham, and Damiere Byrd made an acrobatic catch on the 2-point conversion.
Stats and stuff
Seattle, trying to stay in the playoff race, trails the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams by a game. ... The Seahawks have four straight road wins, their longest streak since they won five in a row in 2020. ... WR DK Metcalf has 47 TD catches and needs one to pass Darrell Jackson for fourth on Seattle’s career list. Metcalf also needs 3 yards and one touchdown to join Randy Moss as the only players in NFL history with 50 receptions, 900 yards and five TDs in each of their first six seasons. … WR Tyler Lockett, who has 65 touchdowns, needs two to pass Marshawn Lynch for third on Seattle’s total TDs list. And with 18 100-yard games, he is one shy of Darrell Jackson for second in franchise history. … Smith-Njigba, who has 93 receptions, needs eight to set the team's single-season record, and 215 yards would give him a franchise-best 1,304. … Smith has five 300-yard passing games, tying Russell Wilson's single-season club record. ... The Bears have lost nine in a row since a Week 6 victory over Jacksonville in London. ... A loss to Seattle would give Chicago double-digit losing streaks for the second time in GM Ryan Poles' three years. The Bears dropped the final 10 in 2022 as part of a franchise-worst 14-game slide that stretched into last year. They've never lost more than 10 straight in one season. ... WR Keenan Allen caught nine passes for a season-high 141 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown last week. The six-time Pro Bowler has 223 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games. ... K Cairo Santos has seven field goals of 50 yards or more, tying his franchise record from last season. ... With 1,199 yards from scrimmage, RB D'Andre Swift could pass his career high of 1,263 last year with Philadelphia. ... Rookie WR Rome Odunze had 77 yards receiving last week — his third-highest total.
Fantasy tip
The Seahawks threw on 45 of their 60 snaps last week, and with the Bears struggling against the pass, Smith-Njigba figures to get plenty of opportunities.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
The Associated Press
