5 winners and 2 losers from the Bears win over the Seahawks: Jeffery Simmons shines in debut, but one big problem remains on defense
The Bears walked into one of the league’s toughest primetime environments and dominated the defending champions, though one unit should still have the front office shopping.
The Chicago Bears walked into Seattle on Monday Night Football facing all of the talk about the Seahawks’ defense, the threat of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and how tough it is to win in that building in primetime. The Bears quieted every one of those concerns with a 34-17 win over the defending champions.
More importantly, Chicago sent a message to the rest of the NFC. This team is legit, it has Super Bowl aspirations, and it isn’t going anywhere.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Bears’ statement win in Seattle.
Winner: Welcome to the Jeffery Simmons show
How can you not start with Jeffrey Simmons? The Bears made a massive swing late last week, sending two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for the All-Pro defensive tackle and a fifth-round pick. That move told everyone Chicago was pushing for a Super Bowl.
One game in, Simmons was a monster. He led the team with six tackles and added a sack, a pass deflection, two tackles for a loss, and a QB hit. Whenever No. 99 was on the field, the Seahawks had nothing going offensively. Seattle did most of its damage when Simmons was off the field, which is something to watch going forward.
Still, this felt like Khalil Mack’s debut game in Chicago back in 2018. It was a phenomenal first impression from the team’s new Monster of the Midway.
Winner: Montez Sweat became the biggest winner of the Jeffery Simmons trade
This was one of the better games of Montez Sweat’s career with the Bears. Fans have been waiting to see a full four-quarter effort out of him again, and he delivered in a high-pressure spot.
Sweat was coming off a two-game suspension, and the Bears had just added his former college teammate in Simmons to elevate his game. Simmons has said that if the offense double-teams him inside, Sweat needs to win off the edge. That’s exactly what happened.
Sweat should have had three sacks tonight. He finished with one on the stat sheet after two more got wiped off by holding penalties in the secondary. He also added three QB hits and multiple pressures. If Chicago gets this level of Sweat alongside this level of Simmons, this defense can generate consistent pressure without sending extra help. That changes everything for Dennis Allen.
Loser: Secondary concerns are still real, even with Jeffery Simmons
The secondary is the trouble spot for this team, and it could be the determining factor in whether the Bears actually reach a Super Bowl.
There has been talk about Chicago adding Khalil Mack opposite Sweat, but that seems unnecessary now after how the defensive line played. The real concern is cornerback. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson were liabilities in coverage again, after both players entered the game allowing a 100-plus passer rating. There was a thought that Simmons’ presence would help things in the secondary too, not the case for those two.
The Bears were without rookie Malik Muhammad, who was out with a toe injury. Muhammad has been the best cover corner on this team, and Chicago missed him in the first half while Smith-Njigba torched both Johnson and Stevenson. The Bears locked up JSN in the second half, but that doesn’t erase the problem.
Chicago is still sniffing around for options before the trade deadline. Whether it’s Riq Woolen from the Eagles, Kristian Fulton from the Chiefs, or someone else, this team needs to explore a cornerback addition.
Winner: Another career-night for D’Andre Swift, who’s having a career-season
D’Andre Swift found the end zone three times, matching his single-game career-high going back to his Week 1 total against the Carolina Panthers.
That gives him 10 touchdowns on the season, also career high and his first time reaching double digits. Swift also became the third Bear in franchise history with two three-touchdown rushing games in a single season.
The Bears have leaned on Swift heavily without Kyle Monangai the last few weeks. Swift finished with 69 yards on 27 carries, and while that average isn’t what Chicago wants, it was tough sledding on the ground. However, the Bears extended Swift before the season for a reason, and he continues to earn that trust by finishing drives like he did today.
Winner: This offense is dangerous with Caleb Williams
Seattle hadn’t allowed a quarterback to pass for 200 yards this season. Caleb Williams became the first after going 24-of-34 for 247 yards and one touchdown pass on Monday night.
Williams played like a point guard out there. Kalif Raymond turned a screen into a 39-yard gain that went down as a run, and three different pass catchers finished with 50-plus total yards. Luther Burden III made big plays, Rome Odunze hauled in key catches over the middle, and Colston Loveland created after the catch as well. That’s exactly what Ben Johnson wants to see. Give your weapons a catchable runner’s ball, and let them work.
Chicago has now scored 30-plus points in three straight games with Williams back under center and the offense is averaging 39.0 points per game with him at QB this season.
Winner: James Lynch deserves a shout out
James Lynch deserves his flowers. Many overlook this guy and thought he might get cut after the Simmons trade, but Allen trusts the veteran because he can play inside and out. The Bears rotated him off the edge and kicked him back inside, and he produced.
Lynch made a tone-setting run stop on first-and-goal in the first half and then came away with the clutch interception in the second half. He deserves some praise.
Loser: Two injuries to watch
The one downside on Monday was injuries along the defensive front. Kentavius Street, one of Chicago’s veteran free-agent additions, went down with a knee injury that looked pretty bad. We’ll see what the full report says.
Grady Jarrett, the team captain expected to man the spot next to Simmons on the interior, suffered a groin injury as well and did not return.
It’s worth noting the Bears had rookie defensive tackles Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving healthy and active, so there is still depth there. And as long as Chicago has Simmons, the interior should be in good hands.
