The Chicago Bears may

have literally fumbled away their playoff chances last week but will look to rebound Sunday when they host the surging Seattle Seahawks in the home finale at Soldier Field. The Bears (7-6) have dropped three straight games since quarterback Jay Cutler went down with a fractured thumb on his throwing hand while the Seahawks (6-7) have won four of five to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Game time is scheduled for 1:000 p.m. (ET) with television coverage provided by FOX. Chicago opened as a 4-point favorite according to the Don Best odds screen with the total at 35.
The Bears are coming off a disheartening 13-10 overtime loss on the road against the Denver Broncos last Sunday. They became the latest victims of Denver QB Tim Tebow, who won his sixth game in a row by rallying the Broncos back from a 10-0 deficit in the final 2:08.
Chicago running back Marion Barber helped Denver’s cause not once, but twice, as he failed to stay in bounds on the team’s final possession in regulation and then fumbled in OT after he had put the Bears into kicker Robbie Gould’s field-goal range. Barber is filling in for the injured Matt Forte, who is out with a sprained right knee.
Offensively, Chicago struggled for the second consecutive game, with the team scoring just one touchdown against the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs combined. Bears QB Caleb Hanie has thrown for progressively less yards in his three starts since taking over for Cutler, as offensive coordinator Mike Martz has gone with a more conservative game plan to limit mistakes. Hanie threw three interceptions in each of his first two starts, but he did not throw one against Denver. He has been sacked 15 times.
Seattle has been heading in the opposite direction following a 30-13 rout of the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football. The Seahawks covered the spread as 9-point home favorites and have enjoyed the benefit of playing four of their past five games at CenturyLink Field. Two of their last three road games have resulted in losses.
Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch has been the catalyst behind the team’s offensive success, averaging nearly 118 rushing yards over the last six games. Lynch has scored at least one touchdown in eight of the past nine games he has played in, but he was virtually non-existent in a 35-24 playoff loss at Chicago back in January. He rushed for two yards on four carries a little more than one week after exploding for 131 yards on 19 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown, in a 41-36 upset of the New Orleans Saints.
The Seahawks did beat the Bears 23-20 on the road last year during the regular season, and they are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games against NFC opponents. The ‘over’ is 18-6 in their past 21 games overall and has cashed in the last six meetings with Chicago. The total has gone ‘under’ in two consecutive games for the Bears overall after going ‘over’ in four straight.
The weather forecast for the Windy City on Sunday calls for abundant sunshine and a high temperature of 45.