The Seattle Seahawks (0-1) and Chicago Bears (1-0) kickoff Week 2 of the NFL Preseason on Thursday night. Seattle opened up the preseason with a 32-25 defeat in Pittsburgh, while the Bears took care of Kansas City, 19-14, at Soldier Field in Chicago. These two NFC foes won’t face each other during the regular season.
Thursday’s kickoff is at 8 p.m. EST at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks are a 3.5-point favorite, and the over-under total is 40.0 points.
What to Know – Chicago Bears
After an 0-3 preseason record in 2021, the Bears got off on the right foot in 2022 with a win last week against the Chiefs. Matt Eberflus earned his first victory as the head coach of the franchise and looks to carry that momentum over into Thursday night’s bout.
Starting quarterback Justin Fields aims to elevate his game this week after a subpar performance in the preseason opener. Fields didn’t turn the ball over but threw for 48 yards and rushed one time for ten. Backup Trevor Siemian took a majority of the snaps, throwing a pair of touchdowns.
Expect starting running back David Montgomery to remain sidelined this week with an injury, handing the rushing duties over to backups Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner, and Darrynton Evans. Herbert carried the ball seven times for 20 yards in last week’s contest.
The Bears will use this game to establish a No. 2 wideout to complement Darnell Mooney. Equanimeous St. Brown and Dazz Newsome will fight for that role through the preseason, with St. Brown currently holding the edge.
What to Know – Seattle Seahawks
Seattle no longer has Russell Wilson under center, but Pete Carroll’s offense looked sharp in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. The Seahawks look to keep that going this week and hope their defense takes a leap forward after surrendering 32 points to the Steelers.
The quarterback battle between Drew Lock and Geno Smith continues after both had solid season-debuts. Lock completed 11-of-15 passes for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Smith was 10-of-15 for 101 yards with a rushing touchdown.
With Rashaad Penny out, backup DJ Dallas led the backfield carrying the ball ten times for 73 yards. Rookie rusher Kenneth Walker III made his pro debut, rushing five times for 19 yards and catching one pass. Walker was injured in the opener and is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason but should be back in time for Week 1.
Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf lead a talented Seattle receiving core that includes Freddie Swain and Marquis Goodwin. Neither of those pass-catchers recorded a catch in the opener, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Carroll limits the amount of game action his top wideouts get in the preseason.
The Pick is In
Seattle’s offense looked good in the opener, even with many of their top playmakers sitting out. The Seahawks defense will face a much lighter test this week matching up against the Bears offense, which should result in less points allowed.
Look for Seattle to take advantage of Chicago’s defense that is trying to find its leader after Khalil Mack and Danny Trevathan departed in the offense.
The Pick: Seattle Seahawks -3.5
