Global warming is a bad thing. Let's be clear about that. In fact, the only positive about it might be that when teams such as the Seattle Seahawks have to travel to play the Bears in Chicago in late December for a night game then the cold and snow are not quite so bad. In fact, Seattle might have escaped a potential hazard when they play the Bears in Week 17 on Thursday Night Football.
Seattle has to get a victory to have any chance to still win the NFC West and make the playoffs. A loss to the 4-11 Bears would end any hopes the Seahawks might still have. Chicago has also lost nine straight and many of those games have not been close.
Still, Chicago is not terrible at home. It is 4-4 at Soldier Field and 0-7 on the road. This means that Seattle would feel a lot better if the game was at Lumen Field. The Seahawks are the more talented team, however, and should be able to keep their postseason dreams at least until Saturday when the Los Angeles Rams play the Arizona Cardinals.
Weather for the Seahawks versus the Bears is nearly perfect for late December
As far as the weather is concerned, though, it will be better in Chicago than it would have been had the game been played in Seattle, where there is a 95 percent chance of rain on Thursday. According to NFL Weather, even the wind won't be so bad in Chicago. There are expected to be gusts only up to 12 mph, which is basically nothing for an experienced NFL quarterback like Geno Smith.
There is also no more than a 19 percent chance of rain (not snow) on Thursday. It will be cloudy, but that is going to help keep temperatures in the low 40s. In other words, the weather should have no factor when the Seahawks play the Bears.
Should Seattle get the victory, and the Cardinals defeat the Rams on Saturday, then the Seahawks and Los Angeles would have the same record entering Week 18 when Seattle and the Rams will play. Should the Seahawks win that game then Seattle would win the division and make the playoffs. The weather for the Cardinals versus the Rams will be no problem as it is expected to be near 60 degrees in Los Angeles on Saturday.