The Seattle Seahawks have to be kicking themselves after Week 16’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Seahawks now need two wins, and the Rams to lose to the Cardinals this Sunday — the Rams win the division with a win over Arizona — for Seattle to take the NFC West crown. They’ll have to lock in Thursday night in Chicago as the Bears wind down a season of change that started with the hype around No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and is closing with uncertainty around who’ll be the club’s next coach.
Second-year Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is enjoying a breakout year and could go a long way toward keeping Seattle in the hunt. He’s averaging 100 receiving yards per game over his last seven contests and has five touchdowns in that span, with quarterback Geno Smith heading into Week 17 third in the NFL in passing yards. While the Bears have been in free fall, having lost nine in a row, Williams has done an excellent job of protecting the ball in that span. Yes, his 60% completion rate leaves a little to be desired, but during the losing streak, he’s thrown 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions in 306 pass attempts.
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