Monday Night Football brings the Chicago Bears to Seattle for a Week 8 matchup, featuring two new shiny trade acquisitions; Quenton Nelson for the Seahawks, and Jeffery Simmons for the Bears. If you’re looking for player props and game-day value, check out the latest lines at FanDuel Sportsbook before kickoff.
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of a huge momentum swing this past week. After losing two straight, the Seahawks dismantled the Chiefs and pulled off a huge trade for a future Hall of Hame
offensive guard, Quenton Nelson. The Bears are feeling good about themselves too after a big win over the New England Patriots last week, and now with Jeffery Simmons leading the defensive line room. Let’s look at some game picks ahead of this matchup Sunday Night.
Over/Under 46.5 (-110)
Whenever Ben Johnson is involved in a game, many people assume that there will be lots of points scored. That is a fair assumption to make as Johnson is an offensive mastermind, even against Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks. Just look at the last time Johnson played Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks: Week 4 of 2024 when he put up 42 points against them. That alone would nearly hit the over on this upcoming week’s money line. However, that 2024 matchup also did not have many of the key defensive pieces that Macdonald and the Seahawks will be deploying this week against the Bears (DeMarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Nick Emmanwori, Ernest Jones, the list can go on.) This is all to say, do not assume Johnson will be able to put up points as easily as he did last time he played against Mike Macdonald’s defense.
The other thing to consider with this money line is the amount of possessions each time will have. Both offenses love running the ball. The Bears are the number one team in rush attempts per game in 2026, averaging over 35 carries a game. The Seahawks are not far behind at fifth most in the league, averaging over 29 carries a game. Seattle now has a new toy to play with in Quenton Nelson. Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet will potentially be making their returns to the field as well. All of this points to two offenses running the ball a lot and churning a lot of clock. This will likely lead to limited possessions by each team, and less opportunities to score. All of this being said, expect a lower scoring game.
The pick: Under 46.5 total points (-110).
Jaxon Smith-Njigba over 150 receiving yards (+390)
It cannot be a FanDuel Predictions article without talking about Jaxon Smith-Njigba, arguably the favorite for offensive player of the year. Smith-Njigba continued his heater of a 2026 campaign last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, putting up nine receptions, 150 yards, and one touchdown. He has 58 receptions, 867 yards, and 8 touchdowns on the season already. That is an average of 123.9 yards per game. There is no question that Smith-Njigba will have another big game, the question is, how big can it be?
The Bears have given up an average of 225.9 passing yards per game this season. That is good for 18th best in the league. That is right around where the Chiefs are, who rank 17th best in the league. You saw what Smith-Njigba did to the Chiefs last week, perhaps he could pull off the same feat this upcoming week. However, one more wrinkle to add to this; Bears starting cornerback Malik Muhammad II has been limited in practice this week. If he can’t suit up, then there is a real chance Smith-Njigba is lining up against a backup cornerback for the Bears. All of this lines up to lean towards another Smith-Njigba huge game.
The pick: Smith Njigba over 150 receiving yards (+390).
Sam Darnold over 20 rushing yards (+630)
A friskier bet will be taking the over on Sam Darnold rushing yards. Between the two quarterbacks in this matchup, Darnold is clearly not the more mobile quarterback. However, last week Darnold carried the ball two times for 17 yards, both times converting for a first down. This willingness to use his feet was a big difference between the Seahawks ability to move the ball on offense against the Chiefs compared to the prior weeks. Because of this, expect Darnold to look for opportunities to use his feet once again.
On top of this, with the acquisition of Quenton Nelson, along with the potential returns of Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price, the Seahawks run game may be able to take a big leap this week against the Bears. If the run game can continue to ascend, that will open the playbook for a lot more play actions and bootlegs; all concepts ripe for a running back to move out of the pocket and use his legs. 20 yards is not much for a quarterback to get – Darnold could easily get this all in one play.
The pick: Sam Darnold over 20 rushing yards (+630).
First touchdown scorer: Zach Charbonnet (+500)
Last week I predicted that Zach Charbonnet will score two or more touchdowns. As he didn’t play (thanks for the heads up, Ian Rapoport), that clearly did not happen. However, with one more week of practice under his belt, this may be the week it finally does happen. If Charbonnet does play, him finding the end zone is a good bet. Charbonnet, when healthy, becomes the Seahawks clear number one running back, and strongest between the tackle runner. With Seattle’s struggles in the redzone, expect Charbonnet to get most of his touches when close to the goal line.
The pick: first touchdown scorer: Zach Charbonnet (+500).
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