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Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks NFL Predictions & Lines

Written by Jimmy Boyd

seahawks bears 92309 The Chicago Bears take on the Seattle Seahawks at Quest Field this Sunday afternoon in a Week 3 NFC battle. Both teams enter this week’s contest at 1-1. Last week, the Bears got in the win column with a 17-14 victory over defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh while the Seahawks saw starting QB Matt Hasselbeck sidelined with a broken rib in a 23-10 loss to division rival San Francisco. These teams last met in mid-November of the 2007 season with Hasselbeck leading the Seahawks to a 30-23 victory with a strong day through the air. The Seahawks have taken three of the last five meetings to take a 7-4 lead in the all-time series. NFL odds makers are expecting this one to go down to the wire, listing the Chicago Bears as the slight 2-point favorite with the total set at 37.

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The biggest thing to look at in this week’s matchup is the health of Hasselbeck. He suffered a rib injury in last week’s game and is currently listed as doubtful for Sunday. If he isn’t able to go, backup Seneca Wallace will get the ball. This would change the Seahawks offense significantly. Hasselbeck is a traditional drop-back, pocket passer while Wallace is a dual-threat QB who is able to make plays in a variety of ways. The Seahawks have shown in the past that they won’t take a conservative approach when Wallace is in the game as they are confident in his ability as a quarterback. Still, the offense doesn’t figure to run as smoothly if Hasselback can’t go.

That means that the defense will have to come up big. The Seahawks have defended the pass well, allowing only 157 yards per game through the air to rank fourth in the NFL. This pass defense has been aided by the pass rush of Lawrence Jackson, who already has three sacks through two games. That’s good news for the Seahawks as Jackson only had one sack in 16 games last season. Seattle’s ability to mount a solid pass rush will be very important in stopping Jay Cutler and the Bears offense. It is worth noting that the Bears are 0-6-1 against the spread in their last 7 games as a road favorite of 3.0 points or less. If you like Seattle to take care of business at home this Sunday, bet the Seahawks at +2 at BetUS.

The good news for Chicago is that Jay Cutler bounced back from his horrific debut. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 236 yards and two scores in helping the Bears beat the Steelers last week. The even more important stat was zero interceptions after he threw four against the Packers in Week 1. But Lovie Smith knows he can’t rely on the right arm of Cutler alone. The Bears need to get running back Matt Forte going. Through two games, Forte has gained only 84 yards on the ground. A date with Seattle might be just what the doctor ordered for Forte though, as 49ers back Frank Gore was able to gash the Seahawks for 207 yards last Sunday. Since the beginning of the 2008 season, Forte is the only player in the NFL with 1,300 or more rushing yards and 500 or more receiving yards. It is worth noting that the Seahawks are 0-5 against the spread in their last five games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game. If you like Chicago to get the job done on the road this week, bet the Bears at -2 at BetUS.

Don’t make a single move in Week 3 before consulting Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks!

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