The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Chicago Bears made the move that should reshape the NFC playoff picture. Chicago landed defensive tackle Jeff Simmons, and if you ask me, he was the easy answer when it comes to the most impactful addition of the deadline.

I’ll admit I’m cheating a little bit with that pick, because we already have a sample size of Simmons in Chicago. It isn’t the most original answer, and plenty of people have already seen what he can do. It’s still the right answer.

As my 13 Personnel co-host, Easton Freeze pointed out, you didn’t need to see Simmons in a Bears uniform to know he’s good.

Why Jeff Simmons was the right move for Chicago

There’s no guesswork with this one. Nobody has to wonder what it’s going to look like in Chicago or whether Simmons will be locked in. He is locked in, and he looks phenomenal.

The Bears were already a dangerous team before this trade. Any team that can throw four interceptions and still win a football game is probably pretty talented. With Ben Johnson calling the offense, Caleb Williams healthy again, and a strong group of wide receivers and offensive linemen, Chicago has plenty going for it offensively.

What the Bears needed was a couple of difference makers on the defensive side of the ball. Luckily for them, Simmons is worth about two playmakers on a defensive line when he is playing his best football. He is a tremendous player.

That matters in two ways. First, Chicago’s odds of getting out of the NFC North as a potential champion have improved dramatically. Second, a defense that can hold its water down the stretch makes a deep playoff run far more realistic. The offense is already very good. Now the defense can carry its share of the load.

What it means for the rest of the NFC North

The Bears and Minnesota Vikings sit at the top of the division, and Austin Stanley made the case on the show that it’s Chicago’s division to lose. That feels right. Minnesota is likely playing to figure out what kind of wildcard team it can be.

The Detroit Lions shouldn’t be overlooked, though. They’re still a really good team. Detroit tried to bolster the back end of its defense by adding Andre Cisco, although Stanley doesn’t believe that move changes the secondary enough. I lean the same way. The Lions made a modest addition while the Bears made a significant one.

The 49ers are right there with Chicago

When it comes to the conference as a whole, the San Francisco 49ers had a busy deadline of their own. The Niners went out and got DeForest Buckner earlier on, and they also added wide receiver Keenan Allen. On top of that, San Francisco gets to keep Mac Jones around as quarterback insurance.

Freeze still landed on Chicago as the NFC favorite after the deadline. His reasoning centers on the Bears’ ability to win in so many different ways. Their offense is well-rounded, with Williams playing at a high level and Johnson scheming at a high level, and the defense now has an edge to it.

He also wasn’t ready to count out the 49ers, and I agree. San Francisco is one of the older teams in the league. When the Niners stay healthy and stay good, which they are doing enough of right now, they have the experience that matters in January. Brock Purdy, coach Kyle Shanahan, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey have all been there before.

The Niners’ offense has quietly rolled through the schedule in a competitive division. A lot of the national conversation this season has centered on the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks instead of San Francisco. That’s partly because the 49ers have been boringly consistent. Everyone spent the preseason focused on their injuries, and now that they’re doing what Kyle Shanahan teams do, they’ve been ignored a little bit.

A Bears vs. 49ers matchup would be the class of the NFC

The deadline made one thing very clear. Chicago and San Francisco both went for it, and both look like legitimate threats to represent the NFC.

Freeze said he’d love to see a Bears vs. 49ers game right now, and I’m right there with him. That would be the class of the entire conference. Chicago has the momentum and a defense that finally matches its offense. San Francisco has the experience and a roster that has seen it all.

For my money, Simmons is the piece that tips the scales toward Chicago. We’ll see how things play out over the final stretch of the regular season.