Bears dominate Seahawks as Jeffery Simmons makes instant impact for Chicago's defense

FINAL: Bears 34, Seahawks 17

Chicago never trailed at Lumen Field in a game that got lopsided in the final minutes. The Jeffery Simmons trade paid immediate dividends for the Bears' defense, while Caleb Williams and D'Andre Swift kept the offense rolling at an extremely high level. This was easily the most impressive win of the year for a Bears squad that has the looks of a Super Bowl contender.

That will just about do it. The Seahawks' last gasp came up short of the end zone, and all the Bears need to do now is drain the final two minutes off the clock.

4:41 4Q: Bears 34, Seahawks 17

Anything the Seahawks can do, the Bears can do better. Shortly after Seattle took the ball away and cashed in with a short-field touchdown, the visiting squad did the exact same. Austin Booker tipped a pass into the hands of James Lynch, who secured the interception and returned it to the Seattle 6-yard line.

From there, D'Andre Swift carried the ball into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the night.

8:28 4Q: Bears 27, Seahawks 17

Turn on the jets! Raymond sprinted through the Seattle defense for an electrifying 39-yard run on a backwards pass, and Swift ran around the right end and across the goal line for an important touchdown that pushed the lead back to two scores.

Now that's how you convert a 2-point try. Sam Darnold at his best.

11:46 4Q: Bears 20, Seahawks 17

This is what they do best. The Seahawks make their hay by causing chaos on the defensive side of the ball and capitalizing on it.

DeMarcus Lawrence jarred the ball loose from Bears tight end Colston Loveland and recovered the fumble at the Chicago 25-yard line.

The stellar field position set the stage for a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. Sam Darnold then hit Tory Horton in the corner of the end zone to for a 2-point conversion.

This game is not even close to over.

It has been a rough night for Jason Myers. The Seahawks kicker missed an extra point earlier in the game and now has two failed kicks on the night after the Bears batted down a 33-yard field goal attempt. Austin Booker got his hand on the ball at the line of scrimmage.

The two-possession margin remains intact, which leaves Seattle with just 14:09 to score twice.

End 3Q: Bears 20, Seahawks 9

The Seahawks are back within striking distance of the end zone but have a little further to go following an offensive pass interference penalty against Jaxon Smith-Njigba. What would have been a first-and-goal situation from the 1-yard line is now a second-and-18 from the 22.

This is precisely why the Seahawks traded for Nelson. They need more of these kinds of blocks and this kind of running from Zach Charbonnet.

5:38 3Q: Bears 20, Seahawks 9

It's a two-possession game in Seattle. D'Andre Swift bolted into the end zone from a yard out for the Bears' second touchdown of the contest and put the finishing touches on another lengthy scoring drive. Chicago chewed 6:19 off the clock across 10 plays.

Vintage Caleb Williams. His sack avoidance remains elite.

Action has resumed in the Pacific Northwest, where the Bears gained 8 yards on their first possession of the second half and punted after three plays. The Seahawks will attempt to take the lead when they take the ball at their own 27-yard line.

HALF: Bears 13, Seahawks 9

Seattle needed to wake its offense up, so it called Jaxon Smith-Njigba's number. Looking in the direction of the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is never a bad idea. He separated from Bears cornerback Malik Muhammad for the game's biggest play through the air: An explosive 43-yard touchdown just ahead of halftime.

Jason Myers sent the PAT wide left for his second missed extra point of the season. What should be a field goal game is instead a four-point deficit for the Seahawks.

1:08 2Q: Bears 13, Seahawks 3

Give the Seattle defense credit for standing tall once the Bears move onto its side of midfield, but it will need to do a better job of locking things down before Caleb Williams passes his way into scoring range. The standout quarterback keeps picking on the defensive backfield for chunk yardage early in possessions and is up to 16 completions on 21 throws.

Cairo Santos' second field goal conversion came from 38 yards out.

6:07 2Q: Bears 10, Seahawks 3

They are trading field goals in Seattle. Three drives after the Seahawks got on the board with three points, the Bears got them back on a 44-yard conversion from Cairo Santos.

Caleb Williams picked up another 45 passing yards on the possession.

It could have been a disaster for the Bears, but a punt off the foot of Troy Taylor still managed to fly 45 yards despite a Seahawk, Irvin Charles, getting a hand on it. Seattle will take over at its own 30-yard line.

That punt came at the end of Chicago's second consecutive three-and-out. Mike Macdonald's defense is beginning to settle in against Ben Johnson's offense.

12:50 2Q: Bears 7, Seahawks 3

What started as a highly effective drive with a couple of sizable gains through the air form Jaxon Smith-Njigba ended disappointingly as the Seahawks settled for a 27-yard field goal after advancing to the 9-yard line.

Seattle entered the night with a 50% red zone touchdown rate, which placed them in a tie for the 26th-worst offense inside the 20. That drive will not help.

End 1Q: Bears 7, Seahawks 0

The Seahawks are on the doorstep at the end of the first quarter. Jaxon Smith-Njigba picked up chunks of 16 yards and 21 yards, and Jadarian Price added 8 yards on the ground to get Seattle into the red zone. The offense seeks its first points of the night to open the second frame.

The active first quarter continues for Chicago's prized trade acquisition. Simmons opened his second defensive series with a sack of Sam Darnold. The sack stood, but a facemask penalty against Grady Jarrett after the play gave the Seahawks 15 yards and a first down.

Seattle could not capitalize on the new set of downs and was forced to punt.

5:25 1Q: Bears 7, Seahawks 0

It took one drive for the Bears to break a couple of long-running streaks for the Seattle defense. Luther Burden III hauled in a 1-yard touchdown catch on Chicago's first drive of the night. Here's why that grab was so significant:

• The Seahawks had not allowed a point on an opponent's opening possession in the last 16 games.
• The Bears' trip to the red zone marked the first against the Seattle defense in 17 drives.

Caleb Williams passed for 58 yards and the touchdown on a methodical 17-play possession that ate up 8:32 of game time.

Simmons' impact on the Chicago defense is already noticeable. His first tackle as a Bear came on the first play from scrimmage. He aided in bringing down Zach Charbonnet on a 5-yard run to begin the game. Seattle did not pick up another yard on the drive and punted the ball away to conclude a three-and-out on its opening possession.

The Bears won the coin toss, deferred to the second half and kicked off to the Seahawks to get this "Monday Night Football" battle rolling. Seattle opens at its own 32-yard line with Zach Charbonnet in the starting lineup.

Zach Charbonnet has not played since the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs but will make his season debut on Monday after he wrapped up his recovery from the torn ACL he sustained in January. There was some thought that he would make his way into the lineup last week since the Seahawks activated him on Oct. 22, but he took another week off and will instead join the offense for this marquee matchup against Chicago.

Even more help arrived on the Seattle offense in advance of kickoff. The team activated rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price from injured reserve following his four-week absence due to a chest injury. Price handled 28 carries for 119 yards over his first three NFL games and added four catches for 21 yards.

This should be a boon to an offense that has had trouble moving the ball consistently on the ground this season and that ranks just 29th in EPA per rush. It is the first time this year that the top two ballcarriers on the roster have been active at the same time. The biggest unanswered question is how Charbonnet and Price will operate together. Charbonnet has the makings of a lead back but primarily served as the No. 2 option before Kenneth Walker III left in free agency and could be eased back into action following his knee injury. Price, on the other hand, owns just three games of experience and topped out at 13 carries for his biggest workload.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirmed this week that Quenton Nelson will start at left guard just six days after the team traded for him. Nelson arrived by way of the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and 2028 fifth-rounder and could help jumpstart one of the NFL's least efficient rushing offenses.

Nelson will remain at left guard, where he played in Indianapolis. Keeping him at his most natural position requires the Seahawks to move Grey Zabel over to right guard. There will also be a third change on the offensive line with starting left tackle Charles Cross ruled out with an ankle injury. Josh Jones will step into the lineup at that spot.

This is the fourth consecutive game Kyle Monangai has missed due to turf toe and a thumb issue. Roschon Johnson will continue to work as the No. 2 running back behind D'Andre Swift.

Jalen Milroe will act as Seattle's backup quarterback for the second consecutive week. This is a recent shakeup in the signal-caller unit after Drew Lock opened the year as the No. 2 option and made one start when Sam Darnold was out with a glute injury.

The start of the Jeffery Simmons era on the Bears' defensive line is nearly here. The three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, who Chicago acquired from the Titans in exchange for two first-round draft picks and a Day 3 pick swap, is with the team and will suit up against the Seahawks.

Coach Ben Johnson said this week that Simmons may not play quite as much on Monday as he did in each of his previous games this season as he transitions to a new defense, but "he has certainly shown the ability to carry a load." Johnson also said he anticipates Simmons picking up the defensive system quickly and that he is encouraged by what he has seen thus far from his new weapon.