The Chicago Bears tabbed Nick Foles the starting quarterback for Sunday's Week 16 road game at the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced Thursday. Both Justin Fields and Andy Dalton are currently sidelined with respective injuries.
Chicago opened 7-point underdogs earlier in the week, and touched as low as +6 early Thursday.
However, the number climbed back up to 6.5 following the Foles news, with a couple shops such as FanDuel and BetMGM extending back up to 7 flat. We're currently seeing a majority of 6.5's around the market.
The biggest move came on the total, which opened 44.5. That number dipped to 42.5 throughout the week and plummeted as low as 41 after the quarterback announcement.
Fields is making strides in his rookie season, but the Bears' offense has been futile this season, ranking 29th in the NFL in both points scored and total yards per game.
The unit has scored more than 27 points just once in its past five games — the Bears took a 15-point loss to the Packers on the chin in that contest.
Not only can the quarterback switch cause some potential chemistry problems Sunday, the Bears may have to navigate some rough weather. Seattle is forecast to experience below-freezing temps, double-digit MPH winds and potential snow.
The Bears are riding an ugly 0-5 mark against the spread heading into Sunday's clash. Foles hasn't played in a single game in 2021, after starting seven of his nine appearances last season. Chicago went just 2-5 in games started by the former Super Bowl MVP.
