Seahawks Bears Odds
Posted by Jimmy Boyd - Google+
The Chicago Bears (8-3) host the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) Sunday at 1:00 PM ET in NFC non-division action. Oddsmakers have listed the Bears as a 4.5-point favorite and have set the total at 37.5.
Why Chicago Covers
The Bears have been at their best at home where they are 5-1 this season. These five victories have come by an average of 12.4 points and all but one has come by at least six points.
Chicago’s only home loss came against the Houston Texans (10-1) in a game where it outgained Houston despite being without starting quarterback Jay Cutler for the entire second half. The Bears are 8-1 this season in games Cutler starts and finishes.
The Seahawks have struggled on the road where they are 1-5 this season. They have gone just 2-4 against the spread in these games. Going back further, we find that Seattle is a poor 19-39-2 against the spread in its last 60 road games. It is just 7-15 against the number in its last 22 road games versus a team that has a winning record at home.
It should concern Seattle backers that their team is so reliant on the running game. That’s because the Bears have proven they can stop the run. Chicago currently ranks eighth in the NFL against the run with 96.9 yards allowed per game.
Seattle is a good running team that averages 138.2 yards per game on the ground. However, the Bears are on an impressive 29-14 against the spread run versus good rushing teams that average 130.0 rushing yards or more per game.
Why Seattle Covers
Oddsmakers may be asking too much of the Bears here considering how poor they have been offensively. They rank 30th in the league in total offense with 298.5 yards per game. They figure to have a tough time moving the football on a Seattle stop unit that ranks fifth in the NFL in total defense with 309.4 yards allowed per game.
The Seahawks have a poor record on the road, but they have been in every one of their road games. They haven’t lost by more than seven points away from home this season, and three of their road losses have come by four points or fewer.
The Bears aren’t at full strength. Starting cornerback Charles (Peanut) Tillman is currently listed as questionable after chipping a bone in his foot last week against the Minnesota Vikings.
Wide receiver and kick return specialist, Devin Hester, is listed as questionable after suffering a concussion last week.
The Bears will be without wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who will miss time following knee surgery, and could also be without linebacker Lance Briggs and running back Matt Forte this week.
Briggs is listed as questionable with a foot injury, and Forte is listed as questionable with an ankle injury.
Seattle’s injury list is much shorter.
The Seahawks are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games, 5-1 against the spread in their last six games versus a team that has a winning record and 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games following a loss.
The Seahawks beat the Bears 38-14 in Chicago last season. They also won the previous regular-season meeting in Chicago 23-20 Oct. 17, 2010.
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