Entering the 2026 season, the San Francisco 49ers knew the Seattle Seahawks were their biggest threat in the NFC.

The 49ers were demolished in the last two matchups against the Seahawks before this year. They needed to get over that hurdle, and sure enough, they did it in Week 5.

However, a new significant NFC threat has emerged, and it might even be greater than the Seahawks. That threat is the Chicago Bears.

They were always on the radar as a team that would stand in the 49ers' way, but after punching Seattle in the mouth on Monday night, they've become a much bigger threat.

Chicago is no joke. To go into Lumen Field on primetime, with the entire football world watching, and beat the Seahawks convincingly is a statement win.

The Bears have been a pretty sweet team this season, and that win in Seattle just catapulted them up the standings. The 49ers need to take notice of them, if they haven't already.

Not even they could beat up the Seahawks this badly. The Bears have a ton of momentum on their side, which went to another level when they acquired defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons.

He popped off the screen in every Chicago defensive series. His impact is already second to none. What he does alone is enough to boost the Bears, but he helps everyone else as well.

Suddenly, Montez Sweat and Grady Jarrett are picking it up. The secondary looks better thanks to the pass rush being a lethal force.

The Seahawks struggled immensely on offense against the Bears. As for Seattle's vaunted defense, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams never wavered.

They struggled for a good stretch of the game against the Seahawks' defense, as expected. No one will ever have consistently successful drives against the Seahawks.

However, the Bears were efficient for the majority of the game. Johnson called an excellent game and won the chess match against Mike MacDonald.

Williams is playing better than ever with an amazing array of weapons at wide receiver, with Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and even Khalif Raymond.

Despite having an awesome passing attack, Chicago's rushing game is their backbone with D'Andre Swift. Just wait until they get Kyle Monangai back.

The Bears proved that they are serious Super Bowl contenders this year, but so are the 49ers. If these two teams meet in the playoffs, it's bound to be an electric matchup.

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