Caleb Williams threw a touchdown pass on the first drive and Jeffery Simmons delivered exactly what Chicago needed on defense as the Bears beat the Seattle Seahawks 34-17 on Monday night.
Williams was extremely effective for the Bears (6-2) against one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL, committing zero turnovers, taking just one sack and throwing for 247 yards while completing 71 percent of his passes.
Williams’ play allowed D’Andre Swift to throw three short touchdowns and that proved more than enough against Sam Darnold and the Seahawks (4-4), thanks to Simmons’ impact on defense.
Acquired last week from Tennessee for a package that included two first-round picks, Simmons took little time to make a big impact on a defense that lacked difference makers.
He had a sack on the first drive, added another tackle for loss and finished with six tackles and a pass defended as Chicago held Seattle to 252 yards and a third-down conversion on 11 tries.
“I’m so excited to be a Chicago Bears guy,” Simmons told ESPN. “It’s just the beginning. We have some things to clean up but it’s a good football team and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
The defending champion Seahawks lost for the third time in four games and are now staring down the NFC playoff seeding. They cannot afford any more slip-ups. The loss ended a streak of 30 consecutive games for Seattle in the regular season and playoffs – the fourth longest among any team in the Super Bowl era – without losing by more than four points.
Darnold was 17 of 34 for 188 yards and two touchdowns for Seattle, but his fourth-quarter interception allowed Swift to score the third touchdown that made the score 34-17 with 4:41 left.
The Seahawks once again struggled to move the ball despite trading last week for three-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and the return of Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price from injuries. Seattle only ran for 81 yards.
The Bears started well against Seattle’s stout defense, going on a 17-play drive on their first possession. They took the lead when Williams threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden III. Chicago added two more field goals in the first half and built the lead to 20-9 in the third quarter with another efficient touchdown run that ended with a 1-yard run by Swift.
The Seahawks were bottled up by Simmons and the Bears for most of the first half before Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 43-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.
Things looked bleak for Seattle when Jason Myers saw a 33-yard field goal blocked in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. But DeMarcus Lawrence forced a Colston Loveland fumble on the next possession that allowed Darnold to pass for a seven-yard touchdown to Cooper Kupp, and Seattle converted the two-point attempt to make it 20-17.
The Bears responded with another touchdown and put the game away after Darnold’s interception.
Swift rushed 27 times for a game-high 69 yards, and Loveland and Burden each made seven receptions. The Seahawks entered the game with an NFL-best .711 winning percentage on Monday Night Football (32-13).
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