If the Week 8 finale between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks served as an NFC championship game preview ... then hopefully the NFC championship game is much more entertaining.

Regardless, the Bears' 34-17 defeat of the reigning champion Seahawks on Monday, Nov. 2, at Lumen Field had something of a January feel as two eminently capable crews try to dial in for the second half of the season while integrating and reintegrating several key components. Chicago, which improved to 6-2 and is now within a half-game of the NFC North lead, currently looks like the more formidable side − now 4-0 in games that QB Caleb Williams starts and finishes. And while Seattle (4-4) might have retreated to .500, the Super Bowl 60 winners caught fire after a 3-2 start a year ago. Still, this was their first loss of 2026 by more than three points.

What does it all appear to mean in the moment? Your winners and losers from "Monday Night Football" in the PNW:

WINNERS

Jeffery Simmons

The Bears confirmed their own belief that they’re serious contenders after last week’s trade for All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons. Wearing the No. 99 jersey once used by Hall of Famer Dan Hampton with the legendary '85 Bears, Simmons had a whale of a debut in navy and orange, racking up six tackles, two tackles for losses and a sack as Chicago’s ninth-ranked defense seems poised to take a step up in class. Simmons, whose victorious night matched the number of wins he'd experienced with the Tennessee Titans in 2026, certainly had a more notable night in his new uniform than perennial All-Pro G Quenton Nelson, who was making his Seattle debut after also being dealt last week.

Caleb Williams

He’s now 3-0 since returning from his three-game absence while healing from a hamstring injury. The top pick of the 2024 NFL Draft also became the first quarterback to pass for more than 200 yards against Seattle’s top-ranked “Dark Side” defense this season. Williams, once again, also did a nice job distributing the ball with five of his receivers making multiple receptions after the Bears began the game as the only team in the league with five players who had at least 20 receptions on the season.

Cooper Kupp

Now in his second season with the Seahawks, the veteran wideout caught his first regular-season TD pass in Seattle since 2019 … when Kupp was a member of the rival Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN’s production

While we Gen-Xers love the Phil Collins throwback sounds every week, mixing in The Bangles’ “Manic Monday” was a nice touch.

San Francisco 49ers

They come out of their bye with a 2½-game lead over both the Seahawks and Rams in what was expected to again be the league’s most competitive division – though the upstart Arizona Cardinals (3-5) are now much closer to the ‘Hawks and Rams. And with a 3-0 division record, the Niners’ advantage is actually even more significant.

LOSERS

Bears' run game

Chicago entered the night with the league’s second-ranked rushing attack – and only because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 324-yard output in Sunday’s win during a Florida deluge skewed the Bucs into the lead. But they will remain there after the Bears RBs ran for all of 86 yards and 2.7 per carry – though a 39-yard lateral from Williams to WR Kalif Raymond made the final total (126 yards) look more respectable. And D'Andre Swift did wind up in the end zone three times.

Seahawks' run game

Seattle got its top RBs, Zach Charbonnet (back from a torn ACL in last season’s playoffs) and rookie Jadarian Price (back from a chest injury that landed him on injured reserve), on the field together for the first time. They’re going to need time to grow after combining for just 52 rushing yards – and behind a reconfigured offensive line starting Nelson at left guard while Grey Zabel shifted to right guard and LT Charles Cross was missing entirely.

Jason Myers

For a while, it appeared the PAT the Seahawks kicker missed and field-goal try that was blocked would loom large. Ultimately, that wasn’t the case – but not a pretty night, from several aspects, for Seattle’s typically solid special teams.

Sam Darnold

A quarterback who's had a notably uneven career is having that kind of season in microcosm. Behind his new-look line, Darnold was often under fire and consequently inaccurate, completing just half of his 34 passes for 188 yards, two TDs and another pick (his ninth in seven 2026 starts). Darnold doesn't need to be Seattle's leading man most weeks, but he's got to be more than a small-time character actor.