NFL Week 17 picks: Why you should consider Lions, Panthers and Colts
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his three best bets ahead of Week 17 games. Find out why he likes the Lions, Panthers and Colts to cover the spread.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw an interception on his final pass of the game to seal a 6-3 win for the visiting Seattle Seahawks during a rainy “Thursday Night Football” finale.
This was the lowest-scoring game of the season and the first time in the 2024 NFL season that either team in a game failed to reach 10 points.
A game marked by defensive dominance started out with a Jason Myers field goal from 27 yards out to give the Seahawks an early 3-0 lead after the first possession of the game.
Seattle managed 51 rushing yards alone on the opening drive and finished the night with 122 yards. Running back Zach Charbonnet — filling in for injured starter Kenneth Walker III — led the way with 57 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Geno Smith completed 17 of 23 passes for 160 yards on a tough night for offense.
Steady rain continued to fall throughout the game, which quickly turned into a field position battle. Following Seattle’s first field goal, the teams combined for six consecutive punts before trading field goals before halftime.
The Seahawks’ pass rush harassed Williams throughout the night. Seattle tallied seven sacks from six different players and Williams completed just 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and an interception.
Chicago’s defense pressured Smith often as well and sacked him three times and Smith fumbled twice. Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon grabbed a fumble by Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown for the first turnover of the game.
But, as it was for most of Thursday night, the Bears offense could do little before ultimately punting the ball again.
Seattle (9-7) moves to 6-1 on the road this season and keeps its playoff hopes alive with a victory. The Seahawks need the Los Angeles Rams (9-6) to lose on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals (7-8) to have a shot at the NFC West crown. Seattle travels to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in Week 18.
Chicago (4-12) has now lost 10 games in a row after a 4-2 start. The Bears will be on the road for their season finale against the Green Bay Packers (11-4).
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Geno Smith’s pass to Zach Charbonnet managed just 2 yards on third-and-6 from the Seahawks’ 44-yard line. Seattle settled for another punt, their sixth of the game, and Chicago will take over at its own 11-yard line with 5:19 to go in the game.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins took down Williams for Seattle’s sixth sack of the night on third-and-8 for a loss of 8 yards. Chicago punted for the seventh time in the game and Seattle’s offense will take over again at their own 12-yard line with 8:13 to go in the game.
The Seahawks lost a yard on third-and-3 from their own 21-yard line and settled for a second punt of the second half. The Bears take over on their own 39 with 11:43 to go in the fourth quarter.
Caleb Williams’ pass on second down fell incomplete to open the fourth quarter. His pass to DJ Moore on third-and-24 managed just two yards and the Bears punted for the third time in the second half.
Seattle will take over at its own 14-yard line after a booming punt from Chicago’s Tory Taylor.
After a third-down conversion to cross midfield, Williams faced nearly immediate pressure on first-and-10 from the Seattle 49-yard line. Seattle’s Uchenna Nwosu sacked Williams for a 14-yard loss as the final seconds ticked down in the third quarter.
Chicago will open the final quarter facing second-and-24 from their own 37.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson punched the ball out from Seattle tight end Pharaoh Brown’s hands and fellow Chicago cornerback Kyler Gordon recovered it. Gordon was downed by contact at the Chicago 38-yard line and the Bears’ offense takes over with 1:50 to go in the third quarter.
Seattle’s Jarran Reed earned his first sack of the night and Seattle’s fourth of the game on third-and-9 from the Bears’ 37. Chicago punted for the fifth time in the game and Seattle’s offense will take over on its own 35-yard line with 4:35 to go in the third quarter. Bears get first turnover of the game on forced fumble
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson punched the ball out from Seattle tight end Pharaoh Brown’s hands and fellow Chicago cornerback Kyler Gordon recovered it. Gordon was downed by contact at the Chicago 38-yard line and the Bears’ offense takes over with 1:50 to go in the third quarter.
Former Seahawks defensive lineman Darrell Taylor got to Geno Smith on third-and-3 at the Seattle 48 to force a fumble. Seattle center Olu Oluwatimi recovered the ball, but the Seahawks had to punt from their own 41-yard line.
The Bears take over at their own 16-yard line with 8:13 to go in the third quarter.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Bears couldn’t move the chains on third-and-2 from their own 30-yard line as Roschon Johnson managed just one yard. Chicago settled for a fourth punt of the night and Seattle takes over at its own 20-yard line.
Seattle drove 38 yards in just over two minutes to get another score before halftime on Jason Myers’ 50-yard field goal. Tight end Noah Fant was the most productive player on the drive with two catches for 25 yards.
Chicago will have 21 seconds before halftime on offense.
After a 9-yard run by Zach Charbonnet to open the Seahawks’ latest drive, Seattle’s wide receiver yelled and pointed at Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson before head-butting him. DK Metcalf was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, his first of the game.
The Bears’ best drive of the night so far stalled in the red zone and Chicago settled for a 42-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to tie the game with 2:32 to go in the first half.
On third-and-10 from the Seattle 17-yard line two plays earlier, Caleb Williams’ touchdown pass to Rome Odunze was called back by a holding penalty. The Bears couldn’t recover from that setback and went with the tying field goal.
Seattle took more than five minutes off the clock with a nine-play, 43-yard drive but Geno Smith couldn’t escape pressure on third-and-10 from the Chicago 41-yard line. Michael Dickson’s punt made it deep into Chicago territory and the Bears’ offense takes over on its own 8-yard line with 10:19 to go in the half.
Facing third-and-6 from their own 35, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw deep down the middle to fellow rookie Rome Odunze but the pass went well over Odunze’s head. The Bears punted for the third time in the quarter and the Seahawks take over on their own 16-yard line with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Geno Smith’s pass to the second-year wideout fell incomplete on third-and-2 and the Seahawks had to punt once again. Michael Dickson’s booming kick means the Bears take over at their own 31-yard line with 2:20 to go in the first quarter.
Chicago’s offense earned a first down but not much more in a five-play, 16-yard drive. Caleb Williams’ pass to Keenan Allen on third-and-5 fell incomplete and the Bears settled for another punt. Seattle takes over on their own 4-yard line with 3:45 to go in the first quarter.
Geno Smith missed Jaxon Smith-Njigba on third-and-7 and Seattle punts for the first time in the game. Chicago will take over on its own 29 with 6:15 to go in the first quarter.
Smith lost his footing on the first play of the drive and ended up losing 8 yards on a sack.
Chicago’s offense managed just five yards on its first drive as Caleb Williams’ pass to Rome Odunze fell incomplete on third-and-5 from their own 35. Tory Taylor’s punt sailed into Seattle territory and the Seahawks will take over at their own 17-yard line with 7:39 to go in the first quarter.
Seattle drove 71 yards in 10 plays but couldn’t convert a crucial 3rd-and-3 from the Bears’ 9-yard line. The Seahawks settled for a field goal as Jason Myers drilled it from 29 yards out to get the first points on the board.
The Seahawks ran the ball very well on the first drive with 53 yards on seven rushes split between running backs Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh.
The Seahawks will start the game on offense from their own 20-yard line.
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Bears vs. Seahawks game will kick off Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season with “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET.
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
“Thursday Night Football” will be exclusively available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription
Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis.
- RB Travis Homer
- DB Tarvarius Moore
- OL Teven Jenkins
- DB Elijah Hicks
- LB Noah Sewell
- DL Zacch Pickens
- CB Nehemiah Pritchett
- TE Brady Russell
- LB Patrick O’Connell
- OT Michael Jerrell
- WR Cody White
- QB Jaren Hall
The Seattle Seahawks are in action in Week 17 against the Chicago Bears on the road for “Thursday Night Football.”
They need a win this week to stay in the hunt for the NFC West title but they’ll have to do it without leading running back Kenneth Walker III.
The team placed the third-year back on injured reserve due to an ankle injury he sustained late last week against the Vikings.
Here’s what the Seahawks’ running back depth chart looks like without Walker III in the lineup.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 17 “TNF” matchup between the Bears and Seahawks will shape up:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Seahawks 24, Bears 17
- Tyler Dragon: Seahawks 28, Bears 20
- Richard Morin: Bears 22, Seahawks 21
- Jordan Mendoza: Seahawks 23, Bears 16
The Seahawks are favorites to defeat the Bears, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
- Spread: Seahawks (-4.5)
- Moneyline: Seahawks (-225); Bears (+185)
- Over/under: 41.5
The “TNF” matchup between the Bears and Seahawks is taking place in Chicago at Soldier Field.
Soldier Field opened in 1924, but the Bears didn’t move into the stadium full-time until the 1971 season. Soldier Field’s first NFL game was on Nov. 11, 1926, when the Bears defeated the then-crosstown Cardinals, 10-0. The Chicago Cardinals used Soldier Field as their home stadium in the franchise’s final season in the city in 1959.
In 1927, around 120,000 spectators watched Notre Dame defeat USC, 7-6, at Soldier Field. It was a college football attendance record until 2016.
Soldier Field has hosted four NFC championship games, with the Bears winning the 1985 and 2006 editions, but losing the 1988 and 2010 conference title games.
Soldier Field also was the site of the opening game of the 1994 World Cup, a 1-0 win for Germany over Bolivia.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does Chicago’s Soldier Field rate?
It’s going to be a mild late-December evening in the Windy City. According to the AccuWeather forecast it will be near 45 degrees at kickoff at Soldier Field. There’s a slight chance of rain showers, but more importantly the wind will not be much of a factor with gusts maxing out at 13 MPH.
The Rams lead the NFC West but a win by Seattle will make their Week 18 matchup against the Rams winner take all for the title.
- Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
- Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
- San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
The Lions lead the NFC West but have not locked up the title. The Bears are in last place in the NFC North and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
- Detroit Lions (13-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
- Green Bay Packers (11-4)
- Chicago Bears (4-11)
One playoff scenario worth watching is the NFC West division title. Seattle takes the field on “Thursday Night Football” with plenty on the line. Thanks to two straight losses, the Seahawks no longer control their destiny. Now the Los Angeles Rams can chart their course.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Seahawks have odds of +500 to make the playoffs entering Week 17. That gives Seattle an 16.7% chance of qualifying for the postseason. — Nick Brinkerhoff
The Seahawks’ remaining two opponents have a combined winning percentage of .433, per Tankathon. That is tied for the 8th easiest remaining schedule among the NFL’s 32 teams.
Below is a look at Seattle’s remaining schedule:
The Bears’ remaining two opponents have a combined winning percentage of .621, per Tankathon. That is the sixth-hardest remaining schedule among the NFL’s 32 teams.
Below is a look at Chicago’s remaining schedule:
Here’s how the AFC and NFC stack up entering Week 17:
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, clinched AFC No. 1 seed, AFC West winners)*
- Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East winners)*
- Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders)*
- Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wild card No. 3)
- Denver Broncos (9-6, wild card No. 2)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (7-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8), Cincinnati Bengals (7-8).
NFC
- Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders)*
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East leaders)*
- Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West leaders)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-7, NFC South leaders)
- Minnesota Vikings (13-2, wild card No. 1)*
- Green Bay Packers (10-4, wild card No. 2)
- Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7), Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.
Here’s how the first round of the 2025 NFL draft stacks up entering “Thursday Night Football”:
- New York Giants: 2-13 record; .542 strength of schedule
- New England Patriots: 3-12; .429 SOS
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-12; .498 SOS
- Cleveland Browns: 3-12; .524 SOS
- Tennessee Titans: 3-12; .527 SOS
- Las Vegas Raiders: 3-12; .555 SOS
- New York Jets: 4-11; .480 SOS
- Carolina Panthers: 4-11; .491 SOS
- Chicago Bears: 4-11; .549 SOS
- New Orleans Saints: 5-10; .527 SOS
- San Francisco 49ers: 6-9; .552 SOS
- Miami Dolphins: 7-8; .442 SOS
- Cincinnati Bengals: 7-8; .463 SOS
- Dallas Cowboys: 7-8; .482 SOS
- Indianapolis Colts: 7-8; .496 SOS
- Arizona Cardinals: 7-8; .538 SOS
- Seattle Seahawks: 8-7; .520 SOS
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-7; .537 SOS
- Atlanta Falcons: 8-7; .520 SOS
- Houston Texans: 9-7; .508 SOS
- Denver Broncos: 9-6; .469 SOS
- Los Angeles Rams: 9-6; .507 SOS
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-6; .511 SOS
- Washington Commanders: 10-5; .427 SOS
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-6; .498 SOS
- Baltimore Ravens: 11-5; .545 SOS
- Green Bay Packers: 11-4; .527 SOS
- Philadelphia Eagles: 12-3; .476 SOS
- Buffalo Bills: 12-3; .491 SOS
- Minnesota Vikings: 13-2; .443 SOS
- Detroit Lions: 13-2; .513 SOS
- Kansas City Chiefs: 15-1; .477 SOS
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
The opponents in “Thursday Night Football” have a combined two Super Bowl wins.
The Bears have made two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XX during the 1985 season. Chicago’s last Super Bowl appearance came in Super Bowl XLI during the 2006 season. The Bears, however, own nine total NFL championships, which is second all-time to the Green Bay Packers (13).
The Seahawks have one Super Bowl victory in three appearances, having prevailed over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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