Germain Ifedi and Bruce Irvin revenge game Sunday

The Seattle Seahawks are set to host the Chicago Bears on Sunday in a Week 16 matchup that sees the two teams enter with a combined record of 9-19. Obviously, that’s not a game that is going to draw a lot of attention late in the season for reasons related to postseason possibilities, and in fact the game could be the first played by Seattle that does not have playoff or postseason implications since 2011.

Even in the 2017 seasons when the Seahawks missed the playoffs, the Hawks entered Week 17 with a very, very slim chance of making the playoffs. As it stands now, heading into the game against the Bears the days after Christmas, Seattle could theoretically make the postseason if the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Washington Football Team combine to go 1-13 over the remainder of the regular season, with the lone win coming when Philadelphia and Washington play each other.

As it stands, in spite of their disappointing performance on the field so far in 2021, the DraftKings Sportsbook has the Seahawks as 6.5 favorites over the Bears, though the potential for snow has the Over/Under at just 43.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Or perhaps it’s not the snow, perhaps it’s the fact that the offenses of both teams have been dealing with subpar quarterback play this season. Seattle had to deal with Russell Wilson missing three plus games after injuring his finger in Week 5, while the Bears have flip flopped back and forth between Andy Dalton and Justin Fields through what is all but certain to be Matt Nagy’s final season at the helm of the Bears. Fields, of course, has shown flashes at time after the Bears traded up with the New York Giants to be able to select him eleventh overall, but he remains a rookie and for the most part rookie quarterbacks tend to be bad.

In any case, whether it’s Fields or Dalton taking snaps for Chicago on Sunday, protecting their visioned side at right tackle for the Bears will be former Seahawks first round pick Germain Ifedi. Ifedi, of course, flamed out in Seattle and drew the ire of fans before signing with the Bears as a free agent prior to the 2020 season. He started out the 2020 season at right guard before taking over at right tackle in Week 12 after the Bears had their bye.

He held on to the starting spot at right tackle for Chicago to open the 2021 season, but a Week 5 knee injury landed him on injured reserve back in October. In Week 15 he returned to the field and resumed his role as the starting right tackle for the Bears. So, what that means is that there is a very good chance Seattle fans will get to see him face off against 2020 second round pick Darrell Taylor at some point Sunday afternoon.

More interestingly, perhaps, will be if and when Ifedi faces off against 2019 first round pick L.J. Collier or if he’s asked to move into the second level and engage 2020 first rounder Jordyn Brooks. The only former Seattle first rounder on the roster Ifedi is unlikely to interact with on the field is Rashaad Penny, though Penny could easily find himself facing off against the player the Seahawks selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, Bruce Irvin.

Chicago added Irvin to their practice squad in mid-November, and promoted him to the active roster on Friday, December 10 in advance of their Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. In the three games since promotion, Irvin has generated one quarterback pressure and recorded five tackles on 88 defensive snaps. So, as long as Collier isn’t a healthy scratch Sunday, the Seahawks should have all three of their first round picks on the field for just fourth time this season, while the Bears will likely have both Irvin and Ifedi for the second consecutive week.

What does it mean? Absolutely nothing, just like the outcome of the game. It’s simply something that’s entertaining. Just like the game.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.