Four days. Two practices. One new playbook. And Jeffery Simmons still walked into Seattle and wrecked the defending Super Bowl champions' night.
The Chicago Bears steamrolled the Seahawks 34-17 on Monday Night Football, with their brand-new All-Pro defensive tackle leading a defense that left Sam Darnold looking for somewhere to hide, according to ESPN and AP.
The trade that changed the defense
Chicago landed Simmons from the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, Oct. 29. Per the Bears' and Titans' official announcements, Chicago sent its 2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fourth-round pick to Tennessee and got Simmons plus a 2028 fifth-rounder back. The Bears noted he arrived fresh off an AP First-Team All-Pro season in which he led all interior defensive linemen with 11 sacks.
ESPN reported Simmons practiced only twice with his new team before the trip to Seattle. It didn't matter.
Simmons' debut, by the numbers
He got to Darnold on the opening drive for his first sack as a Bear, AP reported. By the final whistle he had six tackles, a sack, multiple tackles for loss and a pass defensed. NFL.com and NBC Sports counted two tackles for loss, while ESPN counted three. AP credited him with three pressures, and Next Gen Stats data cited by ESPN showed he drew 13 double teams, the only Bears lineman in double digits.
The on/off split is wild. According to Next Gen Stats via ESPN and NFL.com, Seattle averaged 3.0 yards per play in the 48 snaps Simmons was on the field and 13.3 yards per play in the eight snaps he sat. ESPN noted Darnold completed under 50% of his passes with Simmons out there and went 5-of-5 with a touchdown when he wasn't.
"His impact was profound," head coach Ben Johnson said, per NFL.com.
"When I attacked the field, I wasn't worried about the trade," Simmons said after the game, per AP. "I wasn't worried about all the outside noise. All I was worried about is play after play, just give the team everything I got."
ESPN reported Simmons was awarded a game ball.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/2117477664080695715
How dominant was it?
Very. Chicago held Seattle to 252 total yards and just one third-down conversion in 11 tries, AP reported. NBC Sports counted five Seattle three-and-outs, three sacks of Darnold and six QB hits. Montez Sweat, Simmons' old Mississippi State teammate, added a sack and three QB hits.
Darnold finished 17-of-34 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and a fourth-quarter interception. Austin Booker tipped the pass and James Lynch returned it to the Seattle 6, NBC Sports reported. That set up D'Andre Swift's third short touchdown run of the night, which made it 34-17 with 4:41 to play.
On offense, Caleb Williams went 24-of-34 for 247 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, per NBC Sports and AP. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was Seattle's bright spot with six catches for 118 yards and a score.
AP noted the loss snapped a 30-game Seahawks streak, counting regular season and playoffs, of never losing by more than four points.
What's next
The Bears are 6-2 and have won three straight, per ESPN. They host Tampa Bay on Sunday night, while the 4-4 Seahawks host Arizona, according to AP.
