After dominating the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 8, are the Bears the clear-cut best team in the NFL? And is Seattle in danger of missing the postseason?
The Steelers have won four straight games and top the AFC North at 6-2, but are they actually title contenders?
As always, NFL fans brought their hot takes to our @NFLonFOX Instagram coming out of the latest week of action. Below, I render fact or fiction verdicts on some of the best ones, providing my thoughts and analysis.
Let’s dive in:
Fact or Fiction: Fact
The NFL is a week-to-week league, and everyone is riding high on the Bears after they stormed into Seattle and overwhelmed the defending champs on Monday Night Football, but I’m all-in on this take!
The only team in the NFC that may be just as (or more) complete than the Bears is the San Francisco 49ers. But I’m taking the upside of an ascending Caleb Williams over Brock Purdy — who’s been terrific this season, save the Niners’ Week 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons — at quarterback.
The difference in who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl may come down to the play of Brock Purdy (left) vs. Caleb Williams. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
It’s also difficult to trust that San Francisco can stay healthy enough for the duration of the season, given recent history and its veteran roster. The 49ers have already been ravaged by the injury bug seven games into their season. Defensive end Nick Bosa (calf) and wide receivers Mike Evans (Achilles tendinitis) and Deebo Samuel Jr. (hamstring) are among the key contributors currently battling injuries.
The Bears, meanwhile, have a much younger core and don’t have nearly as many health issues. Of course, that can change in the blink of an eye in the NFL, but the Bears are currently in great shape.
Plus, Chicago’s defense looks much more dependable right now. New Bears DT Jeffery Simmons gives the team the ability to wreak havoc with a four-man rush while San Francisco still has pass-rush issues without blitzing. Reuniting with DL DeForest Buckner will help, but there’s still a need for reliable depth at edge rusher given Bosa’s health concerns. According to Next Gen Stats, the Niners rank 28th in pressure rate (28.0%) and tied for 22nd in sacks (15).
The Bears have fewer holes than the Niners and every other team in the NFC.
Seahawks Will Miss The Playoffs
– @nargis17x
Fact or Fiction: Fiction
Sorry, I’m not buying this right now.
I know the defending champs are 4-4 and have issues on offense, but it’s not difficult to imagine the tide turning for them over the next several weeks.
First of all, the Seahawks just reconfigured their offensive line. All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson, acquired via trade with the Indianapolis Colts, had just a few days to learn a new scheme before facing a revamped Bears defensive line that added Jeffery Simmons. Nelson’s arrival forced Grey Zabel to move from left to right guard, a position he hadn’t played since his freshman year of college in 2020. Left tackle Charles Cross (ankle) didn’t play in Week 8.
Seattle’s talented O-line just needs time together, which will help spur an inconsistent rushing attack that just got first-round rookie Jadarian Price and veteran Zach Charbonnet back from injuries. Price has only four NFL games under his belt; we don’t know what he is as a pro yet. Charbonnet, who had 12 rushing touchdowns last season, is coming off his first game action since tearing his ACL in January.
Both backs should get better as the season wears on, taking pressure off QB Sam Darnold, who’s been turnover prone (nine interceptions in six games). And while Darnold is week-to-week with a quad injury, backup Drew Lock has been terrific in relief this season, showing he’s more than capable of keeping the Seahawks’ offense afloat.
Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense is still elite, despite a rough showing against Chicago on Monday. The 49ers (6-1) are 2.5 games ahead of the Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. As it stands, San Francisco is in great shape to take the division. But Seattle is right in the mix for one of the wild-card spots.
The Steelers Are Contenders
– @jonaszanocco
Fact or Fiction: Fiction
I’m not there yet.
Yes, the Steelers are technically a contender by virtue of their record. At 6-2, they sit atop their division and would be the AFC’s No. 3 seed if the playoffs started today, hosting a postseason game. They can run the ball with the Jaylen Warren-Rico Dowdle tandem in the backfield — 348 rushing yards over their past two games — and can stop the run (83.9 rushing yards allowed per game, third in the NFL).
Pittsburgh is tied with the Denver Broncos for the longest active winning streak, but the Steelers haven’t really beaten anyone to this point. No team they’ve faced in their four-game streak (Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns) would be in the postseason if the playoffs started today. Just one of their six wins came against a team that’s currently in the playoff field (Cincinnati Bengals, Week 3).
We’ll learn much more about the Steelers’ legitimacy over the next five weeks, when they have a rematch with the Bengals (5-2) and also face the Broncos (5-2) and Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2). The Bengals game is the only one of those three that’s at home.
Right now, I see a Pittsburgh team that could use more depth at wide receiver and cornerback. Aaron Rodgers isn’t the superstar quarterback he once was. It’s tough to buy into the Steelers without a signature win.
The Chargers Will Go 0-17 This Year
– @13jamie23
Fact or Fiction: Fiction
The 0-7 Chargers are terrible, but they have winnable games in the foreseeable future. In the next three weeks, they face two two-win teams (Houston Texans, New York Jets) and a Ravens squad that’s down its top two quarterbacks. Further out, in Week 13, the Chargers play the 3-5 Buccaneers. In Week 16, L.A. travels to Miami to face the lowly Dolphins.
I say the Chargers get three or four wins by season’s end.
As much as this has been a season from hell for quarterback Justin Herbert, he did have a season-high in completion rate (75.0%) and passing yards (257) in the Chargers’ loss last Sunday to the Rams. That’s potentially something to build on, despite the fact that he had his third multi-interception game.
The Chargers aren’t devoid of talent. That, even if nothing else, can get them at least a couple of wins.
