The Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks didn’t wait for the trade deadline to make major moves.

The Seahawks decided to fix their run game by beefing up the offensive line. They traded for guard Quenton Nelson, an eight-time Pro Bowler. In Nelson’s Seattle debut, he’ll see a familiar face on the other side. For years in the AFC South, Nelson and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons battled when Simmons was with the Tennessee Titans. But the Bears pulled off a stunning move last week, sending two first-round picks and more to the Titans for Simmons. It’s a huge move for a defense that needed a boost.

The two big trade additions are an auxiliary story in what was already a fantastic Monday night matchup.

The Seahawks are 4-3 but still a Super Bowl candidate due to a stellar defense. The offense has come up short in some close losses, with Sam Darnold pressing and throwing too many interceptions, but it’s still a quality Seattle team. The running game should be better going forward. Not only is Nelson a big addition up front, but the team should have running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price back from injuries for Monday night. That could be a big difference in a Seahawks offense that too often relies solely on Jaxon Smith-Njigba for any production.

The Bears don’t have any issues on offense. They’re third in yards per game and that’s with Caleb Williams missing three games due to a hamstring injury. There are a lot of weapons available for Williams. The coaching matchup of Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s fantastic offensive play-calling vs. the defensive scheme of Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is one of the best of the NFL season.

Who needs it more?

Seattle is on the spot here. At some point, Seattle can’t live off reputation and what we think the Seahawks should be. They need wins. Falling to 4-4 in a very tough NFC West would be a tough spot to be in. Seattle also can’t afford to drop too many games at home, where it has one of the best home-field advantages left in the NFL. The Bears don’t want to lose too many games in a tough NFC North either, but falling at Seattle isn’t a terrible outcome. It’s big for both teams but a little bigger for the Seahawks.

Key player: Bears WR Luther Burden III

Burden had a relatively slow start to the season but he has gotten hot. He has 12 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown over Chicago’s last two games. The Bears have scored 61 points in those two games. It’s not a coincidence that Burden’s surge started when Caleb Williams returned to the lineup. It’s hard for any receivers to find daylight against the Seahawks. Seattle has allowed an amazing 642 yards to opposing receivers over seven games this season. The Seahawks’ own star receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, has a league-best 867 yards already by himself. For the Bears to win on Monday night they’ll need to figure out Seattle’s defense, and Burden is the most likely candidate among Chicago’s receivers to crack the code.

Betting market watch, by Ben Fawkes

The Seahawks host the Bears in one of the best Monday Night Football games this season. Seattle opened as a 3.5-point favorite at some books, but it's now pretty much a flat 3. Chicago stunned the NFL world by trading away two-first round picks (and more) for Titans DT Jeffery Simmons this week. This will be our first look at how he improves the Bears' defense. On the other side, Seattle has had an up-and-down start to the season, but looked impressive in a dominant 20-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Seahawks have been favorites in every game (going 3-4 against the spread), while this will be the first game this season that the Bears have been an underdog with Caleb Williams starting. I think Ben Johnson and Chicago show Seattle that the balance of power in the NFC is shifting with an impressive road win.

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.

Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski

It’s a fun one to close out Week 8, as the high-scoring Bears head to Seattle and take on the stingy Seahawks. Here are three fantasy themes to consider as you watch the game.