A longtime boxing scribe once told me he hates it when sports reporters label events that don’t actually involve fighting as a “heavyweight bout.” It’s insulting to those who step into the ring. As they say, you can’t play boxing.

After what transpired in Monday night’s slugfest—not sure if I’m O.K. to use that term—between the Bears and Seahawks, many football reporters couldn’t help themselves and referred to the prime-time game as a “heavyweight fight.” ESPN’s Joe Buck even used the common boxing analogy after the Bears’ impressive opening touchdown drive, saying Round 1 of this heavyweight battle went to Chicago. I’ll allow it this one time because I have a few boxing metaphors of my own. (Also, I’m sure many people would pay good money to see a boxing match between Buck and his colleague Troy Aikman.)

The Bears entered Monday night as the visiting team with an impressive offense, but after pushing around the reigning Super Bowl champions for a 34–17 victory, they left as the total package. With quarterback Caleb Williams playing like an MVP front-runner and newcomer defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons making his presence felt immediately, it’s hard not to consider the Bears the best team in football eight weeks in. If that’s getting too ahead of ourselves, perhaps we can all agree that Chicago (6–2) has at least elevated itself to being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. This is no longer the pesky young team that gave the Rams a good fight (there I go again making grizzled boxing reporters upset again) in last season’s divisional round.

The Bears showed how different they were, from the impactful first drive to the stunning 39-yard running play from receiver Kalif Raymond on a critical third-and-9 in the fourth quarter. That wasn’t a heavyweight punch. That was a lightning-quick response in front of a raucous crowd and a brilliant play call from Bears coach Ben Johnson, who went deep into his playbook to dial up Raymond on the momentum-changing play. Running back D’Andre Swift punched it in on the following play to extend Chicago’s advantage to 10 points with 8:28 remaining in the game.

Kalif Raymond is fast. pic.twitter.com/DTHoBKhCck

— Sports (@Sports) November 3, 2026

As for the Bears’ new defensive weapon, Simmons was well worth the price they paid to plug him into the middle of their defensive front. Not even the Seahawks’ acquisition for guard Quenton Nelson could contain Simmons, who had six total tackles, two for loss, a sack and a pass defensed. Williams went 24-of-34 for 247 yards and one touchdown, and executed the offense to near perfection against a stellar Seattle defense. 

A spirited Williams was seen on the sidelines telling his teammates that’s who they are (he had more colorful language) after the Bears marched down the field for a 17-play, 80-yard opening touchdown drive against the league’s best defense to shave 8:32 off the clock and set the tone in front of a hostile environment. 

Ironically, Johnson said earlier in the week that he prefers short, explosive scoring drives and wasn’t big on time of possession. But on that first drive, which included three third-down conversions and going for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 44-yard line, Chicago showed it could maneuver in various ways. Sometimes, it’s more deflating for a defense not to find a way off the field than giving up a big touchdown play of 50-plus yards. You can chalk up the explosive play to a missed assignment or lack of miscommunication. Getting beat over and over on critical downs hurts the ego and lets doubt creep in. 

Caleb Williams was loving what Simmons and the defense did tonight. pic.twitter.com/2LAcRZzRBc

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2026

This prideful Seahawks’ defense was wounded from the jump—they, of course, rallied back and made the necessary adjustments to get back into the game in the fourth quarter. 

After the lengthy opening drive, this compelling Monday Night Football game stopped being an isolated matchup between Mike Macdonald’s defense and Johnson’s ascending offense. Styles make fights, but calling it that can also be somewhat insulting because it highlights one strength. Seattle didn’t win a Super Bowl in February just for having a dominant defense. They have already proven to be the complete package, and perhaps for the first time since the hiring of Johnson, the Bears now appear to be on that level.  

When the Seahawks faced the Rams in their three entertaining meetings last year, the story wasn’t Macdonald’s vaunted defense against Rams coach Sean McVay’s high-scoring offense. It was two evenly matched teams searching under every rock for any advantage.

The Bears are no longer just an impressive offensive team. They’re also resilient because they had answers for the Seahawks’ spurts. Seattle got Buck to call it a heavyweight fight again after trimming the deficit to 20–17 with 11:46 left in regulation. However, the Bears were still one step ahead, whether it was Williams rolling out to find open receivers or the defensive front constantly pressuring Sam Darnold without needing to send extra pass rushers. The Seahawks are now 4–4 and outside the NFC playoff picture. The Bears are still slotted as a wild-card team, but they’re only half a game behind the Vikings (6–1) and 49ers (6–1) for the top two seeds in the conference.

After Chicago added Simmons, who quickly flashed his strength with a sack in the first quarter, this team seems to be the Real Deal Holyfield. This new-look roster is good enough to win the Super Bowl this season. Johnson’s Bears officially arrived on Monday night, and they’re very good in many areas. They still lack experience, so maybe the Bills should be viewed as the league’s best because they have Josh Allen and maybe have learned from all the postseason heartbreak. The 49ers could have more talent than the Bears, but they have one big if: Can they stay healthy? 

Trade for Jeffery Simmons... IMMEDIATELY gets a sack.

CHIvsSEA on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/jVPBx4MzcS

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2026

Additionally, the Bears still have a long way to go to be called the best in the NFC North. Chicago got crushed by Green Bay last month. In Week 2, the Vikings’ stout defense shut down Williams and his offense, and that was the game in which Williams was made fun of after being carted off with a hamstring injury. 

The Bears aren’t short on fuel for proving the doubters wrong. Johnson is always looking for a verbal fight and not just with Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Johnson was well aware that many had Chicago pegged as the team most likely to regress in 2026. But all this young team has done is take steps forward, and now the execs upstairs have doubled down on this roster after sending two first-round picks to Tennessee for Simmons’s services. 

The Bears still have many fights headed their way in the coming weeks. Still, it doesn’t get much tougher than facing the Seahawks at their house. It also says plenty that this so-called heavyweight bout turned into a one-sided affair with five minutes left in regulation. 

The new-look Bears have put the rest of the league on notice with what they did Monday night.