Sam Darnold Passing Yards Pick for Seahawks vs. Bears

Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks will close down the Week 8 NFL slate in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Chicago Bears.

Looking to defend last year’s Super Bowl victory, Seattle has gotten off to a 4-3 start to the season. The Seahawks currently trail the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West standings and will face a 5-2 Chicago Bears team that is also competing in a tightly contested divisional race.

Looking at the odds for the Week 8 MNF matchup, the Seahawks enter as 3.5-point favorites and hold -175 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bears hold +145 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 46.5.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in this battle of the NFC. Check out the game preview and more on DraftKings Network. For now, here’s my top Sam Darnold prop bet for Monday Night Football.

Sam Darnold Passing Yards Pick at Bears

Sam Darnold Over 237.5 Passing Yards (-113)

It was a difficult start to the season for Sam Darnold. Following last year’s Super Bowl success, he suffered a glute injury on the fifth play of the season opener. The two-time Pro Bowler was forced to leave the game and subsequently missed Week 2. Across the five games since returning, Darnold has completed 62.3% of his pass attempts for 1,277 passing yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. The turnover issues are a storyline worth monitoring for the remainder of the season. Interceptions plagued him early in his career, and those concerns have resurfaced during the opening stretch of this campaign.

However, Monday’s matchup presents an excellent opportunity for the Seahawks quarterback to get back on track against a vulnerable passing defense. Chicago ranks ninth in the NFL in points allowed and ninth in total yards conceded. However, the Bears have struggled to contain opposing passing attacks, ranking 19th in passing yards allowed and 21st in passing touchdowns conceded. They have also been among the league’s worst teams in yards allowed per pass attempt and have surrendered a league-high nine completions of 40 or more yards. Chicago has consistently struggled to limit explosive plays through the air.

Drake Maye shredded this Bears secondary for 321 passing yards in their most recent matchup, while Michael Penix Jr. tallied 225 yards through the air the week before. Jordan Love also put together a massive performance against Chicago, throwing for 367 yards in Week 5. Darnold should have plenty of opportunities to attack this vulnerable secondary, especially considering he has averaged 35.0 pass attempts per game across his five appearances since returning from injury. He has attempted as many as 51 passes in a single game during that stretch.

Darnold is averaging 255.4 passing yards per game since returning to the lineup and he has surpassed the 237.5-yard mark in three of those five appearances. That includes back-to-back performances entering Monday’s matchup. Chicago also has a high-powered offense, ranking eighth in points per game and third in total yards. It is going to take Seattle putting up some points to get the victory, so back Darnold to do his part in putting the team in a favorable position by moving the ball throughout.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has made a strong case for the NFL’s top wide receiver this season and will be eager to capitalize on Chicago’s vulnerable secondary. The Bears will need to dedicate significant defensive attention to slowing down the star pass catcher, potentially creating opportunities for the rest of Seattle’s receiving corps. Even with Rashid Shaheed sidelined, Darnold has capable options in Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner. Expect Darnold to have plenty of opportunities to attack this defense and put together another productive performance through the air. With his recent volume and Chicago’s struggles against opposing passing attacks, back the Seahawks quarterback to surpass 237.5 passing yards for the third consecutive game.