7 min read
Major Takeaways
- Jeffery Simmons had a sack, six tackles and two tackles for loss in his Bears debut as Chicago held Seattle to 252 total yards.
- Caleb Williams completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers against an elite Seattle defense.
- DAndre Swift ran for three touchdowns, his second three score game of the season, and Chicago scored the most points Seattle has allowed all year.
- The Bears improved to 6 and 2 with a third straight win and beat last season Super Bowl teams in consecutive prime time games.
- Seattle fell to 4 and 4, and a streak of 30 straight games without a loss by more than four points came to an end.
The Chicago Bears walked into Lumen Field on Monday night with a new star on defense.
They walked out with the loudest win of their season.
Chicago beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 34 to 17 to close Week 8.
Jeffery Simmons delivered a sack and constant pressure in his Bears debut.
Caleb Williams played clean and fearless football on the other side of the ball.
1. Simmons Changed the Bears Defense on Night One
Chicago paid a heavy price to land Simmons last week.
The blockbuster trade with Tennessee cost the Bears two first round picks.
On Monday night, Simmons showed why the front office paid it.
He recorded a sack early in the game and never slowed down.
Simmons finished with six tackles and two tackles for loss.
He also broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Ben Johnson described the impact of his new tackle as profound.
Receiver Rome Odunze said Simmons had him up off the bench watching third downs.
Simmons said the trade and the noise around it never entered his mind.
“When I attacked the field, I was not worried about the trade,” Simmons said.
“All I was worried about is play after play, just give the team everything I got.”
The numbers around him told the same story.
Chicago held Seattle to 252 total yards for the night.
The Seahawks converted just one of 11 third down tries.
The Bears piled up three sacks as a team.
Montez Sweat looked energized next to his old college teammate.
Sweat added a sack and three quarterback hits of his own.
2. Williams Outplayed an Elite Defense
Seattle owned one of the stingiest defenses in football entering Monday night.
No quarterback had thrown for 200 yards against the Seahawks this season.
Williams ended that streak with room to spare.
He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.
He threw no interceptions and took just one sack all night.
Chicago set the tone on the very first possession of the game.
The Bears marched 80 yards on 17 plays to open the night.
The drive ate more than eight minutes off the clock.
Williams capped it with a one yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden.
Burden finished with seven catches for 56 yards and that score.
Johnson praised his quarterback for staying calm when the plan got demanding.
Williams has been sharp since returning from a hamstring injury three weeks ago.
On Monday, the whole country saw what Chicago fans have been watching build.
3. Swift Finished Drives All Night Long
Williams moved the Bears down the field again and again.
DAndre Swift made sure those trips ended in the end zone.
Swift carried 27 times for 69 hard yards against a stacked front.
He scored three rushing touchdowns, all of them from close range.
It was the second three touchdown game of the season for Swift.
His first came in the season opener against Carolina.
Chicago became the first team to rush for three scores against Seattle this year.
The Seahawks had allowed only four rushing touchdowns in their first seven games.
The Bears also hung 34 points on Seattle, the most the Seahawks have given up all season.
Two first half field goals had Chicago in front 13 to 9 at the break.
Jaxon Smith Njigba kept Seattle close with a 43 yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
Smith Njigba finished with six catches for 118 yards.
Swift answered in the third quarter with a one yard score that made it 20 to 9.
The touchdown finished a ten play drive that lasted more than six minutes.
4. Seattle Made One Push and Chicago Slammed the Door
Seattle opened the fourth quarter with a chance to climb back in.
Jason Myers lined up a 33 yard field goal in the first minute of the quarter.
Austin Booker blocked the kick and kept the lead at eleven points.
The Seahawks got one more opening moments later.
DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble by tight end Colston Loveland.
Sam Darnold turned the short field into a seven yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp.
The two point conversion cut the Chicago lead to 20 to 17.
Chicago answered the way contenders answer.
Kalif Raymond hauled in a 39 yard gain on a key third down.
Swift punched in his second touchdown from five yards out for a 27 to 17 lead.
Austin Booker then tipped a Darnold pass into the air.
James Lynch pulled down the interception for the Bears.
Four plays later, Swift scored from five yards again.
His third touchdown made it 34 to 17 with 4 minutes and 41 seconds left.
Darnold finished 17 of 34 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and the interception.
Seattle ran for only 81 yards despite its own big trade last week.
The Seahawks had added three time All Pro guard Quenton Nelson from Indianapolis.
It did not matter against Simmons and the Chicago front.
“We got beat. No other way to sugar coat it,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said.
The loss was the third in four games for the defending champions.
It also ended a remarkable streak of close games for Seattle.
The Seahawks had gone 30 straight games without losing by more than four points.
That run was the fourth longest of the Super Bowl era.
Chicago defensive lineman Grady Jarrett left the game with a groin injury.
Seattle lineman Leonard Williams left with a stinger and did not return.
5. A Black Led Core Has Chicago Believing Again
This win carries weight far beyond the standings for Black fans in Chicago.
A Black quarterback is leading the Bears with poise on the biggest stages.
A Black defensive tackle just became the engine of the defense in one night.
Black playmakers scored every Chicago touchdown on Monday night.
Burden opened the scoring and Swift closed the game with three scores.
For a city with deep Black football roots, that picture matters.
Young fans on the South Side and the West Side see stars who look like them.
They see those stars winning the toughest road game on the schedule.
Chicago has now beaten both of last season Super Bowl teams in consecutive weeks.
The Bears took down New England on Thursday night in Week 7.
They followed it by dismantling the champions in their own building.
At 6 and 2, Chicago sits a half game behind Minnesota in the NFC North.
The Bears hold the top wild card spot in the NFC as Week 9 begins.
Seattle dropped to 4 and 4 and outside the playoff picture for now.
Chicago hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday night in another prime time test.
Seattle returns home to face Arizona on Sunday.
One game in November does not win a championship in February.
But Monday night looked and felt like a turning point.
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