Since Ben Johnson’s Bears era began, I’ve tried to remain as calm and reserved as I can about this team. I’ve done my best to remain objective and be as down-to-earth as I can. Just calling things as I see them. Well, after last night’s game. I’m still going to call it like I see it. And what I saw last night is undoubtedly a Super Bowl contender.
The Bears were certainly on the list of NFC contenders before the Jeffery Simmons trade, but I think if you hit any Bears fans with truth serum, they’d tell you they had big-time fears that the defense would ultimately let them down at some point.
Now that Jeffery Simmons is a Bear, though, things have changed. I’ve gone from hoping Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams can win games despite a struggling defense to picturing No. 99, in his highlighter-orange sleeves, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Some might say I’m getting a little too excited about a Week 8 game. But it’s not just about Week 8. It’s about what we saw from the Bears on the field last night. How complete a football team they are. How physical they are. How fast they are. The team that took the field last night can take on anyone in December, January, or February. The identity Ben Johnson has instilled within this team is palpable. So, why not us?
Let’s recap the win in Seattle.
Nov 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (99) reacts after a defensive play against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn ImagesBears 24-Hour Rule
For the first time, I’m not going to start with the quarterback. We’ll get to how awesome Caleb was later, but we have to talk about Jeffery Simmons first. That dude is a MONSTER. He was a disruptive force in the middle of the line. He commanded double teams and even beat them at times. He was making Grey Zabel look like he was back at North Dakota State. He did exactly what the Bears hoped he would. He disrupted Seattle’s offense, and he made everyone around him better. I think most of us know this, but if anyone (mostly Bears haters) tries to tell you that defensive tackle isn’t a premier position and the Bears overpaid for Simmons, they don’t know football. I would argue no position defensively can be more disruptive and effective than an elite defensive tackle. Pressure up the middle throws off a quarterback’s footwork and timing more than pressure off the edge. Pressure up the middle doesn’t allow a quarterback to step up in the pocket, which makes sacks easier for edge rushers. Eating double teams on run plays frees up linebackers (anyone else think Devin Bush had his best game as a Bear last night?). Getting pressure with four makes life much easier for the secondary. You can game plan and work around edge pressure. You can’t really get around a defensive tackle collapsing the pocket in your lap.More from BN Bears: Jeffery Simmons Needed About 72 Hours to Become Seattle’s Biggest Problem
I’ll wrap up here with the Jeffery Simmons love fest. Well, at least for now. But his impact on that defense was palpable. You could feel it from the first drive when Cam Lewis laid a massive hit on third down. The defense was humming. They were playing with more confidence than they have all season. Several players stood out and had their best games of the year. Dennis Allen opened up the playbook a bit more and wasn’t limited. The Jeffery Simmons trade has firmly entrenched the Chicago Bears as a Super Bowl contender, and possibly the team to beat in the NFC. Nov 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Bears defensive lineman James Lynch (97) celebrates with teammates after an interception against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Alright, let’s talk about a few other reasons why the Bears can win the whole thing. Last night, yet again, we saw an offense that is elite at controlling the football. Chicago’s offense held the ball for over 10 minutes more than Seattle last night, with a 35:03 time of possession. This offense has become a boa constrictor. Sure, sometimes they’ll hit you with a flashy, explosive play, and defenses always have to be on guard for that. But they can beat you any way they want. Whatever defenses take away, the Bears offense has had an answer for. They just so rarely beat themselves. Last night alone, they had multiple 10+ play touchdown drives, including a 17-play opening drive. Sometimes D’Andre Swift or Roschon Johnson broke a chunk run. Sometimes Caleb delivered a dart from the pocket; other times, he escaped and found someone on the run. This Bears offense doesn’t just want to beat you. They want to impose their will and take away yours. And for the last few weeks, it’s been working. Owning the clock keeps the opposing defense tired and your defense fresh. It keeps your offense in rhythm. And it makes it a lot harder for the opposing offense to find their rhythm. Owning the ball like the Bears have been able to do the past few weeks, and most of the season when Caleb Williams has been healthy, is absolutely a recipe for winning come playoff time. I started talking a bit about Caleb Williams in the last point, but now is probably a pretty good time to talk about his full game. He was awesome yet again. Was he perfect? No. There were a couple of missed throws. But he was also facing one of the top two defenses in the NFL, on the road, in primetime, and at the league’s loudest venue. Though he wasn’t perfect, he was pretty darn close. No quarterback had thrown for 200+ yards against Seattle this season. Caleb finished with 247 and was a 50/50 call away from getting over 280 (watch the Kalif Raymond “run” be the reason Caleb stays under 4,000 yards this year). Nov 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) under center against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Beyond the great numbers, he’s passing the eye test with flying colors. He’s just making so many perfect throws week after week, and his pass catchers are making big plays, too. I’m not sure his hamstring is 100% yet, but he’s taken off and run significantly less since returning from injury, and his production hasn’t dropped. Instead of gaining seven or eight yards with his feet, he’s holding the ball a touch longer and finding a receiver for a first down. If people still didn’t believe, last night should firmly entrench Caleb in top-five QB discussions in the league. The run game might not have been flashy, and it didn’t put up gaudy yardage numbers last night. But it was efficient and was there when it needed to be. The Bears may not have broken a ton of long first-down runs, but they had very few negative plays. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson just kept chipping away at a really good Seattle front seven. They also did an amazing job finding the end zone. The ground game was relentless. It’s been all year, and it’ll only get more so when Kyle Monangai comes back. This team is just so mentally tough, too. The Seahawks scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to one at the end of the half, then the Bears went three-and-out out of the locker room. The defense then responded with a three-and-out of their own, and the offense then went down and scored to make it 20-9. Never too high, never too low. Colston Loveland’s fumble led to a Seahawks touchdown. Suddenly, the lead was cut to three, and the 12th man woke back up. Doesn’t matter. Six plays and 56 yards later, the Bears were back up 10. It’s not just talent; it’s a mindset and a culture that Ben Johnson and his staff have set in and hammered home. This team always believes they’re going to win. They just don’t get shaken. I guess that last point is a good place to wrap up. This team is super talented, obviously. They have dudes at a lot of different positions. But what makes them different, and entirely capable of winning a Super Bowl, is their leadership. Their head coach has gotten this team fully bought in and instilled a special culture. Their quarterback plays with more confidence in himself and his teammates than anyone. Teams take on the identity of their leadership, and this team has fully embraced the identity and culture that has come with Ben Johnson.Hence then, the article about why not us last night s bears win has me thinking big thoughts was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. 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