Could the "Monday Night Football" matchup in Week 8 be an NFC championship preview?
With the majority of the Week 8 slate wrapped up, the Chicago Bears are currently in the NFL playoff picture despite not leading their division. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks are on the outside of the bubble, looking in. But 10 weeks (and one game) before the end of the regular season, both teams are among NFC and Super Bowl favorites, according to the latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Chicago sits in third place in the NFC North ahead of its meeting with the reigning Super Bowl champions on the road; a win in Seattle would push the Bears half a game ahead of the Detroit Lions for second place. The Bears are coming off of another prime-time win – a 30-24
victory over the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots on "Thursday Night Football."
The Seahawks are coming off of two straight prime-time games: a loss to the Denver Broncos on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 6 and a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football" last week. They're 4-3, sit behind only the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West and are half a game out of the NFC's No. 7 seed, behind the Green Bay Packers.
Both teams also made a significant trade before their Monday night meeting. The Seahawks acquired three-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 27. Two days later, the Bears sent a couple of first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Nelson and Simmons will face off in each player's first game with his respective new team.
Here's how the latest Super Bowl odds and NFL playoff picture look entering the final matchup of Week 8:
Super Bowl 61 odds
Who's favored to win the Super Bowl? See the odds for every team:
- San Francisco 49ers: +580
- Buffalo Bills: +600
- Seattle Seahawks: +950
- Jacksonville Jaguars: +950
- Kansas City Chiefs: +1000
- Los Angeles Rams: +1100
- Chicago Bears: +1100
- Cincinnati Bengals: +1400
- Denver Broncos: +1600
- New England Patriots: +1900
- Minnesota Vikings: +1900
- Detroit Lions: +1900
- Green Bay Packers: +3000
- Houston Texans: +3500
- Pittsburgh Steelers: +5000
- Dallas Cowboys: +5000
- New York Giants: +6500
- Carolina Panthers: +7000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +7400
- Atlanta Falcons: +8400
- Baltimore Ravens: +10000
- Washington Commanders: +12000
- Las Vegas Raiders: +15000
- Cleveland Browns: +15000
- New Orleans Saints: +20000
- Philadelphia Eagles: +50000
- Arizona Cardinals: +70000
- Indianapolis Colts: +80000
- Tennessee Titans: +100000
- New York Jets: +100000
- Miami Dolphins: +100000
- Los Angeles Chargers: +100000
NFL playoff picture Week 8
All 32 teams are still mathematically in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs – none have been eliminated yet with 10 more weeks to play.
Here's how the playoffs would look if the season ended before "Monday Night Football" in Week 8:
AFC:
- Buffalo Bills (AFC East leader, 6-1)
- Denver Broncos (AFC West leader, 6-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North leader, 6-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South leader, 5-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (Wild Card No. 1, 5-2)
- Cincinnati Bengals (Wild Card No. 2, 5-2)
- New England Patriots (Wild Card No. 3, 5-3)
In the hunt: Cleveland Browns (5-3), Las Vegas Raiders (4-4), Baltimore Ravens (4-4), Houston Texans (2-5), New York Jets (2-6), Indianapolis Colts (2-6), Miami Dolphins (1-6), Tennessee Titans (1-7), Los Angeles Chargers (0-7)
NFC:
- San Francisco 49ers (NFC West leader, 6-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (NFC North leader, 6-1)
- New York Giants (NFC East leader, 4-2-1)
- Carolina Panthers (NFC South leader, 3-4)
- Detroit Lions (Wild Card No. 1, 5-2)
- Chicago Bears (Wild Card No. 2, 5-2)
- Green Bay Packers (Wild Card No. 3, 5-3)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (4-3), Los Angeles Rams (4-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5), Atlanta Falcons (3-5), Arizona Cardinals (3-5), Dallas Cowboys (3-5), Washington Commanders (2-4-1), New Orleans Saints (2-5), Philadelphia Eagles (2-6)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week 8 'Monday Night Football' features two Super Bowl favorites. See betting odds
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