The NFL is always full of surprises -- season to season, week to week and, on Sundays, hour to hour.

The Week 8 schedule was absolutely loaded, but the two best games of the Sunday slate ended up being Bengals-Titans and Cowboys-Cardinals. If you had Gardner Minshew coming off the bench and throwing three touchdowns to lead a double-digit comeback and Joe Burrow accounting for six touchdowns -- and throwing three interceptions -- go buy a lottery ticket.

And that was only the early window. Later in the day, Bo Nix went from zero to hero again, leading a stunning double-digit comeback against the Chiefs. Overall, there were five double-digit comeback wins, the most of any week this season.

So yes, it may be November, but we're still learning, still being surprised, still finding out what's real and what's not. And the Bears capped a wild weekend by showing they are very much for real.

1. The Bears are top-tier Super Bowl contenders

If you had high expectations for Jeffery Simmons in Chicago -- and I very much did -- they somehow still weren't high enough, at least for one game. The Bears' 34-17 dismantling of the reigning-champion Seahawks was a fever dream for any Chicago fan.

Simmons delivered six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass broken up in his team debut, but that outstanding stat line still doesn't come close to telling the full story.

• The Bears allowed 3.0 yards per play with Simmons on the field. They came in allowing 6.3 yards per play, worst in the NFL.
• That included 2.6(!) net yards per pass attempt allowed. For reference, the best net yards per attempt defense this year is the Steelers at ... 6.1.
• Bears pass rushers not named Simmons terrorized Sam Darnold all night, too. Montez Sweat in particular had his best game in recent memory.

This is what superstars do. They wreck plays, and when they don't, they allow others to. Sam Darnold was running for his life all night en route to just 188 passing yards on 5.0 net yards per attempt. I found it fitting that the Seahawks acquired Quenton Nelson this week, and yet Simmons stole the show. And that's no shade to Nelson. Simmons is that good.

Caleb Williams, meanwhile, was superb. The stats didn't pop, but what makes him so good is that he can have absurd statistical games and he can have just really efficient, high-floor games. Against one of the league's best defenses, Williams had no turnovers and took just one sack. His 7.3 yards per attempt were the best by any player against Seattle this season.

Stars make the world go 'round. They give you a chance. But supporting casts lift you from "having a chance" to "being a force," and the Bears have an awesome supporting cast. Ben Johnson is a top-five coach. Luther Burden III is an ultra-fun wide receiver who eats up one-on-one coverage and has tons of juice after the catch. Outside of his fumble, Colston Loveland was excellent. Rome Odunze is the big, physical guy who wins intermediate/deep throws in the middle of the field, a crucial area to attack. He has been terrific recently. The offensive line is outstanding. Everything has fallen into place.

There are still weaknesses. The cornerbacks are a concern. But the NFL is about figuring out ways to either hide, overcome or fix those weaknesses. Star power is the best way to do it, and the Bears have superstars at quarterback and, now, on defense.

The Seahawks hadn't lost a game by five or more points in nearly two years. They lost this one by 17. The Bears were probably a second-tier Super Bowl contender this time one week ago. After Monday night? Welcome to the top tier, Chicago.

2. Don't count out the Lions, though

*whispers* Here come the Lions.

It seems like all the discourse from the Lions' gritty 19-15 win over the Vikings was about how bad Kyler Murray has been. Maybe -- just maybe -- we should focus on Detroit.

The offense is currently third in EPA per play and success rate and sixth in explosive play rate. Jared Goff has thrown for 15 touchdowns and one interception and is playing like a legit MVP candidate. He won't win the award, but he should garner votes. His ability to manage pressure -- long his biggest weakness -- has been at career-best levels this year. Jameson Williams looks like a stud again, and we already know Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown are awesome. Detroit ranks third in run blocking and fourth in pass blocking in PFF's metrics.

The defense, meanwhile, is eighth in success rate and 13th in EPA per play over the past two weeks. Brian Branch's return has been huge. Kerby Joseph could be back soon. The secondary has been miles better since the bye. Up front, Aidan Hutchinson remains a star, and Alim McNeil and Tyleik Williams are playing well inside.

This could be the NFC version of the Bengals: elite offense plus just enough defensive playmaking to be a threat.

3. The Chiefs have multiple issues to fix, and the trade deadline must be the time to fix them

In a vacuum, the Chiefs' loss to the Broncos was just that: one loss. Yes, it was a disappointing one, given the chance to put a vice grip on the division, but it's just one loss.

In the big picture, this game revealed multiple significant issues -- issues that will cost the Chiefs when a loss isn't just a game lost, but a season lost.

These are the three things I'm quite worried about:

• Andy Reid's continued game mismanagement
• Short-yardage issues
• Absolutely no downfield presence

In the fourth quarter alone, Reid punted on a fourth-and-inches and, up three, had Harrison Butker (who was 2-for-6 from 50+ entering the game) attempt a 54-yard field goal in the rain. Butker missed. Both of those decisions were key moments of the Chiefs blowing an 11-point lead in the final quarter.

Reid has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, yet made two incredibly conservative decisions. This is far from the first time. The field goal decision was particularly infuriating because being up six isn't that much more helpful than being up three, and Mahomes is, historically, better on fourth and 8 to fourth and 12 than Butker is from 50+ this year. You can read more of my thoughts on Reid blowing it here.

The short-yardage issues aren't new, either, and they play into Reid's mismanagement. Mahomes has not attempted a quarterback sneak since 2019. If that's how it is, fine. But the Chiefs still have to find another way to consistently get one yard. Kansas City only gains a first down on 62.5% of its plays when it has 1 yard or less to go, 23rd in the league this year. This loomed very large, of course, at the end on Sunday, when Kansas City failed to convert on multiple goal-to-go opportunities at the 1-yard line.

The Chiefs' wide receiving corps is hurting in both the short yardage and the (lack of) big yardage. For the latter, there is no deep threat. Mahomes has gone three straight games without completing a pass 20+ yards downfield. The pass-catching options are, frankly, appalling for a Super Bowl contender. Rashee Rice is a YAC guy. Xavier Worthy just doesn't provide a lot. Even Travis Kelce had two bad drops. And in the short yardage, wouldn't it be nice to have a guy who can win a 50/50 ball? A big catch radius? A guy who wins one-on-one?

George Pickens is the dream add here, but Kansas City must do something. Must. Mahomes is too good. Kenneth Walker III is too good. You just can't pass up many opportunities when you have Mahomes. The Chiefs have extra draft capital. Look at other Super Bowl contenders making big trades this season. If you're not giving Mahomes the best chance possible (within reason) to win a Super Bowl every year, you're being wasteful. It's already bad that the pass-catcher is such a huge issue for a second straight year, but the Chiefs have a chance to change that.

4. Adonai Mitchell rocks

A week ago, I floated Adonai Mitchell as a potential solution for the Chiefs' wide receiver woes. He was coming off a zero-catch game, and Omar Cooper Jr. was emerging for the Jets.

Now? I think Mitchell might be a legit part of the Jets' long-term build. Sunday, he had seven catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. But it's more than the stats. It's how he looked as he accrued them.

That is legitimate star-level film. I know the Raiders' cornerbacks are young and not great, but Mitchell looked like varsity against JV.

Mitchell was a throw-in in the Sauce Gardner trade. An afterthought. His career was synonymous with a 75-yard catch in which he toasted multiple defenders, only to fumble the ball 1 yard before entering the end zone uncontested. The talent has always been there.

He was off to a strong start this season before a freak finger injury suffered in practice. If he has finally put it all together, the Gardner trade -- already a landslide win for New York -- got even more lopsided.

5. Gregory Rousseau belongs in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

In all likelihood, you only heard the name Gregory Rousseau in connection to the Lamar Jackson injury. With Jackson and, later, Tyler Huntley out, the Bills crushed the Ravens 36-10, turning a highly anticipated game into a snoozefest.

But if that's all you heard, you missed out on Rousseau being an absolute menace. He only played 30 snaps because of the blowout, but he still managed seven pressures and a sack. Watch him toss Roger Rosengarten aside on the sack.

Shortly thereafter, he destroyed a drive on his own.

Here's where Rousseau stands through eight weeks:

• 46 pressures (most in NFL)
• 22 quarterback hits (tied for most)
• 20.4% pressure rate (third)
• 7 sacks (tied for third)
• 3 forced fumbles (tied for third)

He has crucial splash plays -- a strip sack to seal a win over the Texans in Week 1, another strip sack in Week 2 -- and impressive consistency, with at least six pressures in six of Buffalo's seven games.

Will Anderson Jr. is rightfully a comfortable favorite (+250, per DraftKings) to win Defensive Player of the Year. But Rousseau has quietly climbed up to +1200, the fifth-shortest odds. He absolutely belongs in the conversation and has plenty of time to become a bigger part of it.

6. The alternate uniforms stink

I can't believe I am "Old man yells at cloud"-ing this, but the Lions' and the Jaguars' uniforms were truly unsightly. Let's start with the Lions, whose uniforms looked like the Panthers had washed their white laundry and their dark laundry together.

Jahmyr Gibbs looks cool because he can make anything look cool. That's what happens when you are cool. But these are bad.

The same thing goes for the Jaguars. A few days later, I feel a little bit better about Jacksonville's getup, but I don't love it.

The helmets being such a departure from the rest of the uniform my biggest complaint. It kind of felt like someone putting together a sensible shirt and pants combo and then throwing on a clashing hat, just because.

The NFL wants alternate jerseys, but some things are better left untouched. Fear not, though, Lions and Jaguars fans. You're still not nearly as bad as the Bills' "Nickel City" eyesore from Week 3. This looked straight out of an unlicensed video game.

We can do better than this, right?