Bears Leapfrog Seahawks After 34-17 Monday Night Rout as Super Bowl Odds Shift
The Chicago Bears did not just beat the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. They made a statement, rolling to a 34-17 win in the final game of Week 8 and sweeping last season’s two Super Bowl teams in back to back weeks after beating the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots in Week 7.
Chicago moved to 6-2 and into the top wild card spot in the NFC. Seattle fell to 4-4 and dropped outside the current playoff field.
The NFC playoff picture after Week 8
If the season ended after Monday night, San Francisco (6-1) would hold the top seed, followed by Minnesota (6-1), the New York Giants (4-2-1) and Carolina (3-4) as division leaders, with Chicago (6-2), Detroit (5-2) and Green Bay (5-3) holding the three wild card spots. Chicago now sits just half a game behind Minnesota for the NFC North lead.
Seattle sits just outside, half a game behind Green Bay for the No. 7 seed, after going 1-2 in three straight prime time games. They remain second in the NFC West behind San Francisco, so the division path is still open.
New star, new injury worries
Jeffery Simmons made an immediate impact in his Bears debut after arriving in a trade from the Tennessee Titans, recording a sack on his fourth defensive snap and finishing with six tackles.
The win came at a cost up front. Bears defensive tackles Kentavius Street and Grady Jarrett both left with lower body injuries. Street suffered an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter, was helped off and carted off, and was ruled out. Jarrett was doubtful to return with a groin injury. Watch Chicago’s interior rotation in practice reports all week.
What It Means for Bettors
The market has already moved. Per DraftKings odds reported Tuesday, November 3, San Francisco leads the Super Bowl board at +580, followed by Buffalo at +600, with Jacksonville and Chicago tied at +950. Kansas City is +1000 and Seattle is +1050. The Bears are now priced as genuine contenders, not a surprise story.
Seattle gets a quick bounce back spot in Week 9, hosting the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lumen Field. Early odds from BetMGM list Seattle as an 11 point favorite, with a moneyline around Seahawks -625 and Cardinals +475 and a total of 44.5.
The betting angle is patience. Do not pay a premium on Chicago’s futures price after a prime time rout, and do not write off Seattle after one bad night. Watch the Chicago injury report and the Seattle spread through the week. If the number keeps climbing past 11, the value starts to sit with the underdog getting double digits.
Compare live NFL odds and futures at BetUS, Bovada and BetOnline.
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