NFL Betting — Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks (12/26)

The Chicago Bears are like some other teams that are playing out the string, with the futures of a lot of people in doubt. The one thing that everyone can pretty much be assured of is that one piece of the puzzle is going to stay in place moving forward.

Most BetAnySports customers who have followed this situation would be expecting that head coach Matt Nagy will be shown the door at season’s end. But it’s a good bet that rookie quarterback Justin Fields is going to outlast his coach, and possibly his general manager.

The problem here is that Fields is suffering from an injured ankle. And his backup, Andy Dalton, who actually started the season as the veteran ready to “bridge” over to the rookie, has a groin injury.

That leaves the Bears in the sticky situation of having to go with someone who they seemingly haven’t wanted to use,and who hasn’t seemed so eager to play. But he’s the guy with the most credentials of the bunch.

While Fields has very few starts, and Dalton has never won a playoff game, Nick Foles has been a Super Bowl MVP. And most people may have forgotten that he was even on the roster. On Sunday he is being trotted out to start at quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks (4:05 PM ET, Fox), with the possibility that Fields could be an emergency backup.

The Bears have a 4-10 record, both straight-up and against the points, and this season has been long since lost. They have their quarterback of the future, but perhaps not their coach. And as has usually been the case in Nagy’s tenure, they have been found wanting at the skill positions.

Allen Robinson has had a disappointing season, and the wide receiver, who had 102 catches last season, is on the COVID list. The ground game has found life at times with David Montgomery, but not enough. Darrell Mooney has potential, but has been stunted by an unimaginative game plan. Jakeem Grant, who made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner but can do other things, is out injured.

In the NFL betting odds that have been posted at BetAnySports, the Seahawks are favored:

Seattle Seahawks -6.5

Chicago Bears +6.5

Over 41.5 points -110

Under 6.5 points -110

It’s not as if Foles has been on the shelf forever. He started seven games for the Bears last season, winning two for a team that wound up in the playoffs. Of course, in place of an injured Carson Wentz, Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl championship.

There are a number of other members of the Bears who will not see action on Sunday afternoon. Among them are defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, linebacker Jowl Iyiegbuniwe, safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. As you may know, Khalil Mack,t he monster linebacker who has terrorized opposing quarterbacks since he entered the league, is out for the year.

There’s a quarterback story with Seattle too, as Russell Wilson was cruising along until breaking a finger on his throwing hand. He sat out, as backup Geno Smith tried to manage things. Then he came back, ineffectively, and not 100%, as he freely admits.

The consistency isn’t quite there, but he’s feeling better. And in the last four games, he has registered quarterback ratings over 100 twice. He will have the services of Tyler Lockett, who’s had 421 receiving yards in the last four games he’s played and has been activated off the COVID list.

And Seattle’s defense makes it tough for opponents to score. The Seahawks are #1 in the NFL in yards allowed per opponents’ point. And against a team like Chicago, which is challenged offensively, that creates a difficult hurdle to clear.

Seattle has the better on-field leadership and the better coaching leadership.

They’re probably a little more motivated as well. So we’ll lay the points.

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