Seahawks won’t come up short

It was a roll of the dice that seemed to make little sense. Short quarterbacks with no experience typically are given no chance to win in the NFL, so when rookie Russell Wilson was named the starter in Seattle, the jokes started.

When he sits in the pocket, he'll need a booster seat. As a two-sport star, he also could be a miniature golfer. And in his spare time, he likes to play handball with the curb.

Wilson is not really short. Listed on the roster at 5 feet 11 inches, he's probably 5-10. But for him to break through in a league of 6-4 quarterbacks, it would require a small miracle.

Three months later, the Seahawks are 6-5 and jockeying for the NFC's final wild-card playoff spot. Wilson, who has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,051 yards and 17 touchdowns, is a big reason for the team's success.

He's far from the only reason. Seattle has a punishing running back in Marshawn Lynch, who has topped 100 yards in four of the past five games, and a physical defense that ranks fifth in the league.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll appears to have made the right move by rolling with Wilson, who faces a tall task Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Wilson lacks the size of Carolina's Cam Newton, the speed of Washington's Robert Griffin III and the mobility of San Diego's Philip Rivers (that's a joke), but he is developing into legit dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 227 yards, and owns the league's sixth-best passer rating (105.3) since Week 5.

He also has limited mistakes, throwing only eight interceptions, and his ball-security skills will be needed against a third-ranked Chicago defense that has forced a league-high 33 turnovers.

The Bears are limited offensively, even after Jay Cutler's return from a concussion, mostly because of a banged-up line that has allowed 35 sacks.

The Seahawks have had their problems on the road, losing five of six this season, but they did win by scores of 38-14 and 23-20 in regular-season trips to Chicago the past two years. That trend means a little something, as does this - Carroll has covered 11 of his past 12 as an underdog.

In what shapes up as a low-scoring game, I'll take the short 3½-point 'dog.

Four more plays for Week 13 (home team in CAPS):

■ BRONCOS (-7) over Buccaneers: Tampa Bay is the league's best team against the spread at 8-2-1. Denver has failed to cover its past two games. Look for those trends to reverse. Peyton Manning and the Broncos will rebound after hitting a flat spot last week at Kansas City. (For 6-point teaser bettors, a Denver-San Francisco ticket looks good.)

■ Steelers (+8) over RAVENS: Ben Roethlisberger will miss his third straight game, and the Pittsburgh offense was pathetic with Charlie Batch at quarterback last week. Seven of the past nine regular-season meetings between the Ravens and Steelers were decided by three points, and while that trend loses significance without Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh still has the running attack and defense to cover a big number.

■ RAIDERS (+2½) over Browns: As a starter in Cincinnati, Carson Palmer went 9-3 against Cleveland. If running back Darren McFadden returns, the odds on Palmer getting another win would improve. The Browns, in the favorite role for the first time this season, have lost 12 consecutive road games.

■ Eagles (+10½) over COWBOYS: On the topic of coaches soon to be fired, here are two candidates. Andy Reid is doomed in Philadelphia (1-9-1 ATS), and he doesn't seem to care. Jason Garrett is walking on thin ice in Dallas, which is 5-16 ATS at home the past three seasons, including 0-5 this season. The Eagles can hang around if they stick with Bryce Brown on the ground.

Last week: 2-2-1 against the spread

Season: 38-21-1

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM, 98.9 FM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.