- May 21, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The Chicago Bears are no longer a team to watch down the road. After a 34-17 demolition of the defending champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, they look like a team ready to win now.
Caleb Williams has played his way into the elite quarterback conversation, with Ben Johnson's offense rolling behind a potent ground game. The Bears own more double-digit wins than any NFL team and have shown their attack has real staying power.
The bigger story might be the defense. General manager Ryan Poles traded two first-round picks for Jeffery Simmons ahead of the November 10 deadline, and the All-Pro defensive tackle delivered immediately. Seattle managed just 3.0 yards per play with Simmons on the field versus 13.3 when he sat. He tied for the team lead with six tackles and five pressures across 49 snaps, notching a sack and multiple tackles for loss despite drawing 13 double teams.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen compared the trade to "waking up on Christmas morning." The betting market has taken notice too, Chicago jumped from eighth to tied for third in Super Bowl odds, trailing only San Francisco among NFC teams.
Mickey's Angle: The Simmons addition changes how you evaluate Chicago's ceiling, a legitimate two-way threat with a defense that no longer needs to blitz at an 8th-ranked rate to generate pressure.
Source: CBS Sports - written by Mickey the Mouth from the original report.