DJ Moore has been a high-percentage fantasy starter as of late. He’s scored 10+ PPR points in six straight games, which is tied for the eighth-longest current streak of that nature among wide receivers. If Moore hits that level again this evening, he will be tied with Chris Godwin (who had a seven-game streak before his injury and thus still technically has an active streak) and Puka Nacua for sixth place in this category.

The season is a success if Seattle’s defense improves significantly (it has, from 27th last season to ninth this season in EPA per play), if the defense appears on track for the future (it does) and if the team’s record does not get worse (TBD). Macdonald in his first season has reversed a 10-year slide on defense. It’s looking like he solved that problem. His next challenge will be to implement a more balanced, physical offense.

No. Missing the postseason — especially to a Rams team that was 1-4 at one point — would certainly be disappointing, but I still think Mike Macdonald has planted the right seeds for the franchise. It was obvious Seattle needed to turn the page after the Pete Carroll era. The next challenge will be deciding how much longer it will stick with Geno Smith at quarterback. As competitive as the Seahawks have been, mediocrity can be maddening. They were 9-8 each of the last two years. They very well could be again.

There’s enough evidence to believe Mike Macdonald is the right coach for the job, so that’s a major win right there. It would be a disappointment to miss the playoffs, especially as they wonder what might have been with some of their injuries. They should finish with a winning record for the third consecutive season, so that’s a plus. If they miss the playoffs, they’ll surely rue the loss to the Giants, but the other defeats came to the Lions, 49ers, Bills, Rams, Packers and Vikings, showing they’re not at that high-end level just yet. Geno Smith has had a solid year, but he’s thrown four interceptions in the end zone, including a pick-six in the overtime loss to the Rams, plus another that was picked at the 2-yard line. Not surprisingly, they went 1-4 in those games. They’re close, but not quite there.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald spoke about the team’s playoff hopes in the lead-up to tonight’s game: “The destiny’s out of our hands right now. That stings. But we’ve got a lot to play for, still. We’re just gonna keep hammering away until this thing cracks. I think it’s right there. We want to be ready when that happens. Hopefully, we get an opportunity to get into the dance and go do some damage.”

The Seahawks can’t clinch a playoff spot tonight, but they can put themselves in a much stronger position if they leave Chicago with a victory.

If Seattle loses tonight, the Rams can clinch the NFC West title with a win over the Cardinals in Los Angeles on Saturday.

However, if Seattle wins tonight, the Rams need to beat Arizona and need other results to go their way in order to clinch the division this week. Otherwise, the winner of next week’s game between the Seahawks and the Rams in L.A. will determine the division champion.

The NFL world will get a live look at the development of Caleb Williams on “Thursday Night Football” tonight. His previous two prime-time games didn’t go well for the Bears – or him. But both games were on the road. The Houston Texans defeated the Bears 19-13 on “Sunday Night Football” on Sept. 15 at NRG Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings later beat the Bears 30-12 on “Monday Night Football” on Dec. 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Plenty happened for the Bears between those two games, including the firings of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus. In those games, Williams was 41-for-68 passing for 365 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for a 67.3 passer rating.

Tonight, though, will be Williams’ first game at Soldier Field in the prime-time slot. Williams’ best game this season on national television came on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. He completed 20 of 39 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-20 loss that will be remembered for Eberflus’ mismanagement of the final 30 seconds, which was the coach’s last game with the Bears.

Caleb Williams has had an up-and-down season as a rookie following his selection as the No. 1 overall draft pick this past summer. On a positive note, he finds himself within range of breaking Chicago’s single-season record for passing yards, trailing Erik Kramer by just 567 yards with two games left to play.

Most passing yards by Bears QB in single season

1. Kramer, 1995: 3,838 passing yards
2. Jay Cutler, 2014: 3,812
3. Cutler, 2009: 3,666
4. Cutler, 2015: 3,659
5. Cutler, 2010: 3,274
6. Williams, 2024: 3,271

Looking to bet on tonight’s Seahawks-Bears game? Here are some odds trends courtesy TruMedia.

• Seattle is 4-0 against the spread in its last four road games. The Seahawks are listed at -4.5 points for this matchup, per BetMGM.
• Chicago is 0-3 against the spread in its last three games.
• Seattle is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games against teams with losing records.
• Chicago is 0-4 in its last four home games.
• Seattle is 0-5-1 against the spread in games off fewer than six days rest since 2022.

BetMGM lists the percentage of bettors landing on either side of the three main game lines. Here are those percentages for tonight’s Seahawks-Bears game.

Point spread (Seattle -4.5)

• Seahawks — 72 percent
• Bears — 28 percent

Total points (41.5)

• Over — 76 percent
• Under — 24 percent

Moneyline

• Seahawks (-225) — 91 percent
• Bears (+185) — 9 percent