Bears beat Seahawks 34-17 in Jeffery Simmons' debut

The Chicago Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 34-17 on Monday night at Soldier Field, a result that capped off the first game for defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons with his new team. The loss dropped Seattle to a 4-4 record, while Chicago improved to 6-2 in the process.

Simmons joined the Bears last week in a trade with Tennessee that included two first-round picks. He entered the game with a smile, wearing his new uniform and orange sleeves, before immediately affecting the play. Head coach Ben Johnson described Simmons' impact on the defense as profound.

Simmons sacked the quarterback on the opening drive of the game. He also recorded a tackle for loss, finished with six total tackles, and deflected a pass. His pressure forced Seattle into difficult situations, limiting the offense to just one third-down conversion on eleven attempts. The Bears held Seattle to 252 total yards.

Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 71% of his passes for 247 yards and no turnovers. He took one sack during the contest. Williams connected with Luther Burden for a one-yard touchdown pass on the opening 17-play drive. The Bears added two field goals in the first half and built a 20-9 lead in the third quarter with a one-yard run by D'Andre Swift.

Seattle struggled to gain ground on the ground, managing only 81 rushing yards. The offense found the end zone once in the second half when Sam Darnold threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. That play followed a forced fumble by DeMarcus Lawrence. Seattle also converted a two-point play after the touchdown, narrowing the gap to 20-17.

The game shifted decisively in the fourth quarter when Darnold threw an interception. That turnover set up Swift for his third touchdown of the night, a short run that made the score 34-17 with 4 minutes and 41 seconds remaining. Darnold finished the game 17 of 34 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

The defeat ended a 30-game streak for Seattle in which they had not lost by more than four points. Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said the team failed to execute the necessary tasks to win. The Bears will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field on Sunday night.

Injury reports listed Bears defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and Kenatvius Street as leaving the game with groin and knee issues, respectively. Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams exited in the second half with a stinger and did not return to the field.