The final Thursday Night Football game of the season is here, and given that it involves the Chicago Bears, it’s fitting that it’s taking place the day after Christmas when the holiday hype has peaked. The Bears (4-11) welcome in the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) to Soldier Field with one team clinging to postseason hopes, while the other is sleepwalking towards the offseason.
The Bears are in the midst of their second-longest losing streak in franchise history at nine and haven’t been competitive in a game ever since Matt Eberflus was fired the day after Thanksgiving. In the three games since Thomas Brown took over as interim head coach, they have been outscored 102-42. After being eliminated from the postseason weeks ago, the team is simply trying to stay healthy with two games to go.
Seattle, meanwhile, can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win but will need help over the next two weekends. The Seahawks are in the middle of their own losing streak, having dropped two in a row, both of which came against NFC North opponents.
We all know anything can happen on Thursday Night Football, so here are our bold predictions for this prime-time matchup:
1. Keenan Allen ties his career high for single-season touchdowns
Who would have thought that the pass catcher with the most touchdowns this season would be Keenan Allen? The veteran wide receiver has always been a reception and third-down merchant, but his touchdown totals have never been that high. Yet in 13 games, Allen leads the team with seven touchdowns and is just one away from tying his career high of eight.
Five of those scores have come in the last five weeks, and given he’s commanding double-digit targets, it stands to reason that Allen will continue to get opportunities against the Seahawks. Seattle has a young secondary, and a veteran like Allen can do some damage against them. He will get his seventh score of the year with the chance to set a career high in Week 18.
2. Bears get a special teams touchdown
The Seahawks have had some notable special teams gaffes this season, one of which cost them a win. They had a field goal blocked against the New York Giants late in the fourth quarter early in the year and had multiple fumbles to go along with allowing a return touchdown against the New York Jets in a close win.
For the Bears, their special teams haven’t been, well, special this season. They have had some moments, though. Chicago has two blocked punts under their belt, and it always seems like something wacky happens on Thursday Night Football. Whether it’s a kick return, punt return, or some sort of block, I have a feeling we’ll see a special teams touchdown take place at Soldier Field. The Bears have to score points somehow, after all.
3. Caleb Williams’ interception-less streak comes to an end
All good things must come to an end. Quarterback Caleb Williams’ streak of not throwing an interception has been remarkable, considering that he’s a rookie, he’s throwing the ball an average of 33 times per game, and the Bears have been behind in games, which naturally makes him more aggressive with his throws. But at some point, the streak has to come to an end, and I think it happens against the Seahawks.
Williams has talked about how he prefers having a routine from Sunday to Sunday. It’s when he’s at his best. When that routine gets disrupted, he has struggled. Take the first half of the Thanksgiving game against the Lions when Williams has just 34 passing yards. The Bears always start slow, and I can see it being even worse on Thursday that sees the rookie throw his first pick in over two months. It may even go to Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant, who has come on strong over the last two months.
