WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Jeffery Simmons recorded a sack, six tackles, three tackles for loss and a deflected pass in Chicago’s dominant 34-17 win over Seattle.
  • The Bears held the Seahawks to one conversion on 11 third down attempts, a 9.1% conversion rate.
  • Seattle averaged 3.0 yards per play with Simmons on the field and 13.3 yards per play when he was off.
  • Simmons played 85.7% of Chicago’s defensive snaps despite practicing only twice with his new team.

Jeffery Simmons needed only four days to move from preparing with the Tennessee Titans to making an immediate impact for the Chicago Bears. His debut came in Chicago’s dominant 34-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

The All-Pro defensive tackle learned he was being traded on Oct. 29. Within hours, Simmons left his family and the home he had known for the past eight seasons to join an NFC contender and begin learning a new defense.

Simmons delivered in his first game for the Bears (6-2, 0-2). Playing in his first primetime game in three seasons, he recorded a sack, six tackles, including three tackles for loss, and a deflected pass as Chicago earned its third straight win.

“Our guys were excited the moment they heard the news that we were bringing him on, and he's fit right in,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “To come in there and have a share of the lead of tackles and a sack in his first game, his impact was profound.”

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Simmons received a game ball for his performance on “Monday Night Football” and his role in elevating the Chicago defense. The Bears entered as the NFL’s top third down defense through Week 7 and held Seattle to one conversion on 11 attempts.

Seattle’s 9.1% conversion rate was the fifth lowest by a team this season. Simmons created problems throughout the game, with quarterback Sam Darnold among those most directly affected by his disruptive Bears debut.

According to Next Gen Stats, Seattle averaged 3.0 yards per play across the 48 plays when Simmons was on the field, with three sacks and an interception. During the eight plays he missed, the Seahawks averaged 13.3 yards per play.

Darnold completed less than 50% of his passes with Simmons on the field. He went 5-of-5 with a touchdown when the defensive tackle was off the field.

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“I know that the quarterback was definitely uncomfortable and then there was a lot of disruption,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. Johnson added, “You can just feel it on the back end [of the defense] of how disruptive he can be.”

Despite practicing only twice with Chicago before the trip to Seattle, Simmons played 85.7% of the Bears’ defensive snaps, covering 48 of 56 plays. That was just below the 87% of plays he logged for Tennessee from Weeks 1-7.

Before Simmons arrived, Chicago had the fourth lowest pressure rate, at 25%, with a standard pass rush since defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was hired in 2025. That measurement covered pass rushes using four or fewer linemen.

Simmons immediately commanded extra attention, creating opportunities for college teammate Montez Sweat. Returning from a two game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances, Sweat recorded a sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

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Darnold was blitzed on 15% of his dropbacks, representing six of 39 plays. On those dropbacks, he finished 3-of-5 for 71 yards with a touchdown and a sack as Allen leaned on the attention Simmons attracted up front.

Simmons led the Bears with 34 pass rushes and was the only Chicago defensive lineman to draw at least 10 double teams, finishing with 13. He also challenged his teammates to capitalize whenever opponents devoted multiple blockers to him.

“Like I told them, not just Sweat, but I challenged even Grady [Jarrett] , if I'm getting a double team, I expect them to win this single block,” Simmons said. “I expect them to affect the game.”

According to DraftKings, Simmons moved from odds of 25-1, tied for eighth best, to 10-1, fourth, in the Defensive Player of the Year market after his Chicago debut. His performance unfolded before a national television audience only days after the Bears went all in to acquire him in hopes of winning a Super Bowl this season.

Simmons said he approached the game by separating the week’s changes from the task on the field. “All I was worried about is play after play, play by play and just give your team everything I got,” Simmons said.

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