Seahawks defeat Bears in ugly 6-3 affair; NFL Week 17 preview, picks

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THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Was anyone really the “winner” from watching or playing in last night’s game? Well, I guess someone was. The Seahawks beat the Bears6-3, on the final “Thursday Night Football” contest of the season, and it was maybe even worse than the unsightly scoreline.

  • This was the lowest-scoring game of the season, the second touchdown-less game of the season and the first 6-3 game since 2011.
  • Seattle’s defense sacked Caleb Williams seven times, and Riq Woolen picked off a fourth-down jump ball to end the game.
  • Clearly, it doesn’t matter who is coaching. The Bears cannot manage the clock. They burned two timeouts, showed little sense of urgency and ultimately came up woefully short on their final drive.
  • It was barely better for the Seahawks, and only because they won. Jason Myers kicked two field goals. Seattle remains alive for the playoffs, though that could change by weekend’s end. If not, the Seahawks and Rams could meet a winner-takes-the-NFC-West game in Week 18.

Long story short, at least the Seahawks’ season is still alive. The Bears’ hasn’t been for a while, and this was, somehow, a new low. Is this franchise cursed? I don’t know, but watching last night made me feel cursed.

๐Ÿ‘ Honorable mentions

๐Ÿˆ And not such a good morning for …

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EVERYONE WHO WATCHED THE SEAHAWKS-BEARS GAME

๐Ÿคฎ (Hey, sometimes all you really need a solid emoji.)

๐Ÿ‘Ž Not so honorable mentions

๐Ÿˆ NFL Week 17 picks, previews: Packers-Vikings showdown leads way

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Two NFC North teams are going to be very unlucky to be heading on the road in Wild Card weekend, and the Vikings have the opportunity to not be one of them. Minnesota (13-2) hosts Green Bay (11-4) this weekend with the chance to set up a potential winner-takes-NFC-North-and-No.-1-seed showdown with the Lions in Week 18.

But getting past the Packers will be no easy task. Green Bay has been absolutely rolling behind Josh Jacobs recently, and a spotty defense earlier in the season has very much improved. The Packers can’t win the division, but they can potentially solidify their status as the No. 6 seed and threaten the No. 5 seed (currently Minnesota) with a win. John Breech says

  • Breech:If the Packers can avoid a slow start, then they can absolutely win this game, especially because Jordan Love will be going up against a Vikings defense that’s surrendering 248.7 yards per game through the air … With the Packers coming off a short week after playing on Monday in Week 16 AND being forced to the road for this game, I think I have to roll with Minnesota. The pick: Vikings 30-27 over Packers

Remember, there are three Saturday NFL games, and that includes the Bengals hoping to keep their season alive against the Broncos. Pete Prisco says …

  • Prisco: “Look for Joe Burrow and company to have a big day on offense, but the Broncos will get theirs as well. This should be fun, but the Bengals will win it late. Pick: Bengals 31, Broncos 27

Here are our experts’ picks and best bets:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John BreechTyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

The CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter (31-13 this season) likes …

  • Bengals over Broncos
  • Dolphins over Browns
  • Buccaneers over Panthers

๐Ÿ€ Miami coach Jim Larraรฑaga steps down

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Add Jim Larraรฑaga to the list of legendary ACC coaches who have stepped down. Miami‘s coach resigned, effective immediately, Thursday amid the Hurricanes’ 4-8 start, their worst in over 30 years.

  • Larraรฑaga, 75, guided the Hurricanes to their first Final Four in 2023, but the team went just 15-17 last season, and finished with 10 straight losses. This year’s 4-8 start includes an overtime loss to Mount St. Mary’s last week, the team’s most recent game.
  • As part of a statement, Larraรฑaga said, “I owe it to our student-athletes, our staff and the University of Miami to make this move now when my heart is simply no longer in the game …”
  • Larraรฑaga is the winningest coach in Miami history, with a 274-174 career record in 13-plus seasons. He began his Division I head-coaching career in 1986 at Bowling Green. In 1997, he moved to George Mason, and his most memorable achievement was a Final Four run with the 11th-seeded Patriots in 2006. It included wins over Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and UConn. He is that program’s all-time wins leader, too.
  • He (likely) ends his career with 717 Division I wins and 744 wins overall.

In a press conference, Larraรฑaga expressed frustration with the NIL landscape and said that was a factor in his decision. He said he was “exhausted” and cited a lack of transparency as a major issue.

That’s been a common thread. Virginia coach Tony Bennett retired just before this season began, and Duke‘s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina‘s Roy Williams and Syracuse‘s Jim Boeheim have retired in the past four years as well.

๐Ÿ“บ What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

๐Ÿˆ Armed Forces Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Navy, noon on ESPN

๐Ÿˆ Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

๐Ÿˆ Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m. on ESPN

๐Ÿ’ Blackhawks at Sabres, 7 p.m. on ESPN2

๐Ÿ€ Pacers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV

๐Ÿˆ Holiday Bowl: No. 21 Syracuse vs. Washington State, 8 p.m. on Fox

๐Ÿ’ Avalanche at Utah Hockey Club, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2

๐Ÿ€ Warriors at Clippers, 10 p.m. on NBA TV

๐Ÿˆ Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs. Texas A&M, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

๐Ÿˆ Fenway Bowl: UConn vs. North Carolina, 11 a.m. on ESPN

๐Ÿˆ Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs. Nebraska, noon on ABC

๐Ÿˆ Chargers at Patriots, 1 p.m. on NFL Network

๐Ÿ€ No. 16 Ole Miss at Memphis (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN2

๐Ÿˆ New Mexico Bowl: Louisiana vs. TCU, 2:15 p.m. on ESPN

๐Ÿ€ Heat at Hawks, 3 p.m. on NBA TV

๐Ÿˆ Pop-Tarts Bowl: No. 18 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Miami, 3:30 p.m. on ABC

๐Ÿ€ No. 22 UCLA vs. No. 14 Gonzaga (M), 4 p.m. on Fox

๐Ÿˆ Broncos at Bengals, 4:30 p.m. on NFL Network

๐Ÿˆ Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Colorado State, 4:30 p.m. on The CW Network

๐Ÿˆ Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. NC State, 5:45 p.m. on ESPN

๐Ÿ€ Thunder at Hornets, 6 p.m. on NBA TV

๐Ÿ€ Utah at No. 20 San Diego State (M), 6 p.m. on Fox

๐Ÿˆ Alamo Bowl: No. 17 BYU vs. No 23 Colorado, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

๐Ÿˆ Cardinals at Rams, 8 p.m. on NFL Network

๐Ÿ€ Suns at Warriors, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV

๐Ÿˆ Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. No. 22 Army, 9:15 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

๐Ÿ€ Virginia at No. 3 Notre Dame (W), noon on ACC Network

๐Ÿˆ Jets at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS

๐Ÿˆ Panthers at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. on CBS

๐Ÿˆ Cowboys at Eagles, 1 p.m. on Fox

๐Ÿ€ No. 17 North Carolina at Miami (W), 4 p.m. on ACC Network

๐Ÿˆ Packers at Vikings, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

๐Ÿˆ Falcons at Commanders, 8:20 p.m. on NBC

๐Ÿ€ No. 23 Michigan at No. 4 USC (W), 10 p.m. on BTN

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