We considered the Chicago Bears' Week 8 contest against the Seattle Seahawks a good old measuring stick game to see just how legit the Bears are in 2026.

Well, we can say the Bears more than measured up after emerging victorious over the reigning Super Bowl champions by a score of 34-17.

The Bears jumped out to a lead after a touchdown on their first drive of the game and didn't relinquish it the rest of the way thanks to fantastic play on both sides of the ball that was led by Jeffery Simmons on defense and Caleb Williams on offense.

Now, let's dive a bit deeper into the details by taking a look at the biggest takeaways from the Bears' decisive Week 8 win over the Seahawks.

Jeffery Simmons makes immediate and massive impact

Sometimes it takes a player time to start making an impact with his new team but that was not the case with Simmons.

Big Jeff made an instant impact with his first sack in the first quarter, and that was just the beginning of his contribution.

Simmons was collapsing the pocket all night long and made Sam Darnold extremely uncomfortable as he racked up a bunch of pressures. He also made his presence felt in the run game.

Jeffery Simmons wasted NO time making an impact for the Bears' defense pic.twitter.com/Kedlt9Dxop

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 3, 2026

Even when Simmons wasn't getting pressures, the extra attention he was drawing freed up the guys around him to make plays, as we saw on the sacks by Montez Sweat and Devin Bush. It's also clear Chicago won't have to blitz as much with all the pressure a four-man rush can bring with Simmons.

When it comes to how Dennis Allen deployed him, we saw the new Bears defensive tackle lineup inside and out.

When it was all said and done, Simmons finished with a team-high six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one QB hit in what was nothing short of an electric debut.

Caleb Williams keeps rollin'

Williams faced his toughest challenge of the 2026 season against the league's best defense and he passed the test with flying colors.

Williams' command of the offense, poise in the pocket and accuracy continues to be impressive to watch. He has very much made the leap to becoming an elite quarterback in his third season and his showing on Monday night cemented that.

The former No. 1 overall pick finished 24-of-34 for 247 yards and one touchdown. He is the first quarterback to finish north of 200 passing yards against the Seahawks this season.

Key second-half adjustment

In the first half, it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Bears' secondary with Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

JSN ripped off four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown over the first two quarters, with the score coming on a 43-yard catch that saw him shake Tyrique Stevenson out of his shoes with a double move.

But it was a different story in the second half for JSN, who posted just two catches for 26 yards. Once JSN stopped producing, the Seahawks had a much tougher time moving the football without any assistance from the rushing attack.

Kudos to Dennis Allen for pressing the right button to significantly limit the league's best wide receiver over the final two quarters.

A statement win

It's one thing to beat the reigning Super Bowl champs who were coming off an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, but it's even more impressive that the Bears beat the Seahawks on their home turf in primetime.

This was nothing short of a statement win for the Bears and if there was any doubt left about Chicago's status as a true contender before this game, that can be put to bed now.

Speaking of making a statement, how about head coach Ben Johnson soundly winning the battle over Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who is one of the elite defensive minds.