Seattle vs. Chicago Odds – Gambling Prediction (Divisional Round)

Seattle Seaahawks vs Chicago Bears Divisional Playoffs NFL Football Pick

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It’s time for a little postseason action to 2010-11 NFL Football season and veteran sportswriter Matt Martz will preview and provide some insight to help make your NFL playoff football wagers winners. Check back every week for your complete source for NFL football gambling right here on CappersPicks.com.

Date/Time: Sunday, January 16, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
Broadcast: FOX
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears Betting Lines from Bookmaker.com
Money Line: Seattle (+370) Chicago (-470)
Spread: Chicago -10
Over/Under: 41
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The Seahawks didn’t seem like a team that entered this year’s playoffs with the worst regular season record of any qualifier in NFL history, as the upset the defending Super Bowl champions in the NFC Wildcard last weekend.

Now they will travel to historic Soldier Field in an effort to win in their first road playoff game in more than 27 years, kicking off day two of the 2010-11NFC Divisional Playoffs against a Bears team that finished the regular with the second-best record in the NFL.

Chicago silenced their critics, clinching the NFC North and earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs, while many picked them to finish no better than third in the division.

Lovie Smith’s controversial move of bringing in offensive coordinator Mike Martz has paid huge dividends. Martz’s offense seems to be a better fit for quarterback Jay Cutler as he went from zero to hero in just one offseason. Cutler has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 3,274 yards with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions compared to 26 interceptions in 2009.

Besides Cutler’s turnaround, the running game seems to have finally found its footing under Martz’s system, as Matt Forte looks like a different player than he was a year ago, rushing for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while catching 51 passes for 547 yards and three more scores.

Wide out Johnny Knox had 960 receiving yards for five touchdowns and Earl Bennet had 46 catches for 561 yards, while Greg Olen caught 41 passes and had five touchdowns and Devin Hester caught 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns — all benefactors of Cutler’s monster year.

Defensively, the Bears allowed 17.9 points and 314.3 yards per game and are led by veteran mean machine Brian Urlacher who returned from his injury showing he has plenty left in the tank, finishing the season with 125 tackles and four sacks. The acquisition of DE Julius Peppers paid off for the Bears. The 9-year veteran had eight sacks and 54 TFL. The secondary was solid, as Charles Tillman and Chris Harris each had five interceptions, and D.J. Moore had four of the Bears 21 total.

As for the Seahawks, they averaged 20.6 points and 304.8 yards per game and skidded into the playoffs on a prayer and then proceeded to look they were on the verge of elimination in round one against the Saints before rallying for the win.  QB Matt Hasselbeck, who has had a rollercoaster year, completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns while throwing just one interception and getting sacked just one time.  Even RB Marshawn Lynch got into the action, proving a 67-yard touchdown for a running game that was nearly non-existent for much of the regular season.  Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu, and Brandon Stokely all came up with timely catches and John Carlson caught three passes with two of them going for touchdowns.

Seattle’s defense has played good for the most part allowing 26.1 points and 374.8 yards per game, bending but never really breaking. They played very well against the Saints, and will hope to ride that momentum into this week’s game as they face a Chicago offense that averaged 20.9 points and 289.4 yards per game.

These two teams played earlier this season and Seattle won 23-20 in a game that ended up being much closer on the scoreboard than it really was on the field.

The Bears beat the Seahawks the last time the two met in the playoffs in 2006, 27-24 in overtime on their way to the Super Bowl, which they lost 29-17 to Indianapolis.

Seattle has lost all seven of its road playoff games since winning its first one, 27-20 over Miami on Dec. 31, 1983.

It will be interesting to see if Peppers can rattle Hasslebeck, forcing him into some critical mistakes. I expect this one to go OVER while the Seahawks’ Cinderella dance ends in the Windy City.

Matt’s Free Prediction: Bears 20, Seattle 13

Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian, the Oregonian, and Utah Spectrum. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.