By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Newly acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons recorded six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in his first game as a Chicago Bear, anchoring a dominant defensive performance in a 34-17 Monday night victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
The three-time All-Pro joined the Bears just five days before kickoff after general manager Ryan Poles traded two first-round draft picks and a fourth-rounder to the Tennessee Titans last week.
“His impact was profound,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said after presenting Simmons with the game ball in the locker room, according to the team’s website.
Simmons passed his physical Thursday afternoon and immediately went to work learning the playbook. He stayed at team headquarters until nearly 10 p.m. that night studying the game plan, he told reporters after the game.
“I was in the building ’til almost 10 o’clock Thursday night just trying to get the game plan and catch up,” Simmons said. “Then when I ran out of the tunnel, I kept telling myself, ‘It’s just football. Go out there and be me. Play by play, just stay in the moment.'”
When Simmons was on the field, Seattle averaged just 3.0 yards per play, according to the team. His presence helped the Bears defense record three sacks of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, plus three additional quarterback hits.
On the first play of Seattle’s second possession, Simmons sacked Darnold. He and linebacker Devin Bush combined on a run stop the next play, forcing a quick punt. The pattern continued throughout the night as the defense held Seattle scoreless on eight of 11 drives.
“I think he’s just — I don’t know — you can feel his presence,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “Especially me, I’m right behind him, so I can kind of just feel how they’re trying to block him. I feel like [the defense] was just flying today.”
Defensive end Montez Sweat, Simmons’ college teammate at Mississippi State, benefited from the added attention the new arrival commanded. Sweat recorded a sack and three quarterback hits, with two additional sacks wiped out by penalties.
“I definitely got my opportunities,” Sweat said. “I definitely got some 1-on-1s. I was looking forward to taking advantage of that, and I’m looking forward to doing that the rest of the year.”
Defensive end Daniel Hardy called Simmons a “phenomenal player” who “really charged up the locker room.”
“He frees stuff up for everybody just because he draws so much attention to him,” Hardy said, according to the team’s website.
On offense, quarterback Caleb Williams completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, posting a 101.0 passer rating. Running back D’Andre Swift scored three rushing touchdowns on 27 carries.
The Bears led 20-9 entering the fourth quarter before Seattle pulled within 20-17. Chicago responded with 14 unanswered points, including a Swift touchdown set up by receiver Kalif Raymond’s 39-yard catch-and-run and another following defensive tackle James Lynch’s interception of a deflected Darnold pass.
“When the pressure’s high, we want to be at our best and all three phases did that,” Johnson said.
The victory improved the Bears to 6-2, their best start through eight games since 2012. It was also their third consecutive win and fifth in the last six games.
The Bears have not trailed for a single minute across their last three games since Williams returned from a hamstring injury, according to team statistics. Chicago has scored 31, 30 and 34 points in those contests.
The Bears continue their season with three straight prime-time appearances as the schedule reaches its second half.
