Chicago's 34-17 takedown of the Seahawks capped a unique set of primetime performances as the Chicago Bears beat Super Bowl runner-up New England in Week 7 and the defending champs in back-to-back games — a first in franchise history. The victory made the Bears favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LXI and planted Caleb Williams firmly in the MVP conversation. Williams entered Week 9 with the fourth-shortest odds (+500) to win MVP, trailing Josh Allen (+165), Brock Purdy (+450) and Joe Burrow (+475).
Since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him Weeks 3-5, the Bears (6-2) have won all three games without trailing and have topped 30 points each time. Williams reached 247 passing yards against Seattle, the first quarterback to throw for 200 yards on their defense in 2026. He ranks second in completion percentage (70.9%), fourth in interception rate (0.6), fifth in yards per attempt (8.0) and third in QBR (78.9).
Williams' mantra — "decisiveness wins" — has driven his consistency. Backup Tyson Bagent noted fewer "superhero plays" and better anticipation. That decisiveness has generated more consistency in the passing game, making Williams the first Bears quarterback since Mitchell Trubisky to achieve such efficiency.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing