2011 NFL Divisional Playoffs: Seahawks vs. Bears Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Chicago, IL (The Spread) - One week after shocking the masses by upsetting the defending Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks look to pull off another upset when they take on the Chicago Bears this Sunday. Continue reading for odds, picks and more on this NFL playoff matchup.
View Current NFL Divisional Round Playoff Odds
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Bears 10-point favorites over the Seahawks on Sunday. The over/under total for this NFL playoff contest is 41 points.
The Seahawks upset the Saints in the Wildcard Round to improve to 8-9 on the season. According to latest NFL trends, they’re now 8-9 against the spread, but just 2-6 ATS on the road this season.
The Bears had last week off after earning a first-round bye and enter Sunday’s game with an 11-5 record. They’re 9-6-1 this season against the spread, including 4-4 ATS at home (where they’re 5-3 straight up).
The over has covered in 12 of the Seahawks’ 17 games this season with one push. It has also covered in six of their eight road games. For the Bears, the under has hit in nine of their 16 games, including 4-4 in games played at Solider Field this season.
Divisional Round Free Pick:
We think the Seahawks have the ability to keep this game close throughout. Matt Hasselbeck has been around long enough to understand how to beat Chicago’s Tampa 2 defense, although whether or not his offensive line can stand up to the Bears’ nasty front seven is the question. Jay Cutler is a bit of a wildcard in this one because he’s had a good year but he has zero postseason experience. We would take Seattle +10, but we think there’s more value in the total. The over is 5-0 in the last five meetings between these two teams and 8-1 in the Bears’ last nine games in January. It’s also 4-1 in the Bears last five playoff games and 4-0 in the Seahawks’ last four road games. The over is 9-1 in the Hawks’ last 10 games overall and 12-3-1 in their last 16 games as an underdog. We think the only reason why oddsmakers haven’t made this total 43 or 44 is because of the Bears’ defense and the threat of bad whether in Chicago. But the Jets and Bears played in shootout in late December when the weather was poor and we can see another high-scoring game this weekend. Our pick is the over 41.
2010 NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND PLAYOFF FREE PICK: SEAHAWKS/BEARS OVER 41