The Bears traded for Jeffery Simmons last week, and on Monday night he showed everyone why. In his first game in a Chicago uniform, the star defensive lineman helped the Bears flatten the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 34–17 at Lumen Field.
Simmons didn't ease in. He sacked Sam Darnold on Seattle's opening drive and finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss, three pressures and a pass defended. ESPN reported that Chicago gave Tennessee a package that included two first-round picks to get him. One game in, that price looks a lot easier to swallow. His take afterwards was refreshingly simple: he just wanted to give the team everything he had on every play.
The offence set the tone early with a 17-play opening drive that ended with a 1-yard Caleb Williams touchdown pass to Luther Burden. Williams went 24 of 34 for 247 yards and didn't turn the ball over. D'Andre Swift wasn't flashy, with 69 yards on 27 carries, but he punched in three second-half touchdowns.
Seattle did make it interesting. A forced fumble set up a Cooper Kupp touchdown, and a two-point conversion cut the lead to 20–17 in the fourth quarter. Then a tipped Darnold pass was picked off and returned to the Seattle 6, and the Bears pulled away. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 118 yards and a score, but the Seahawks went 1 for 11 on third down. Coach Mike Macdonald didn't sugarcoat it: "We got beat."
The loss ended a 30-game run in which Seattle hadn't lost by more than four points. The Seahawks are now 4–4 and have dropped three of four. Chicago moves to 6–2, right behind Minnesota in the NFC North.