The Chicago Bears made a statement on Monday night. They beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 34-17 at Lumen Field to improve to 6-2, and a new defensive star helped lead the way.

This recap is based on the Associated Press game story, published by CBS Sports, and the box score on ESPN.

Simmons makes an instant impact

Jeffery Simmons, acquired last week from Tennessee in a trade that included two first-round picks, made his Bears debut and had a sack on Chicago’s opening defensive series. He added another tackle for loss and finished with six tackles, three quarterback pressures and a pass defensed.

Head coach Ben Johnson described the impact as “profound.” Receiver Rome Odunze said Simmons “has me up off of the bench,” adding that watching the defense on third down was exciting. Simmons himself said he was not worried about the trade or “all the outside noise,” only about giving the team everything he had play after play.

The Bears held Seattle to 252 yards and just one third-down conversion on 11 attempts.

Williams and Swift control the game

On offense, Caleb Williams was efficient, going 24 of 34 for 247 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers and one sack. D’Andre Swift ran for three short touchdowns, the last of them from five yards out with 4:41 left, to put the game away at 34-17. Chicago’s first drive set the tone: a 17-play, 80-yard march that ended with Williams throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden.

Chicago led 7-0 after the first quarter and added two field goals from Cairo Santos in the second. Swift’s one-yard run extended the lead to 20-9 in the third quarter.

The Seahawks fall short

Seattle’s Sam Darnold went 17 of 34 for 188 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw a fourth-quarter interception that set up Swift’s final score. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had six catches for 118 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown just before halftime. The Seahawks ran for only 81 yards, even after last week’s trade for guard Quenton Nelson and the return of running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price from injury.

Seattle made it interesting early in the fourth quarter. After Jason Myers had a 33-yard field goal blocked, DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble, and Darnold hit Cooper Kupp for a seven-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion that made it 20-17. But the Bears answered with a touchdown drive and then took control.

A streak ends

The loss ended a 30-game streak for Seattle, in the regular season and playoffs, of not losing by more than four points. The AP calls that the fourth longest such streak in the Super Bowl era. The Seahawks have now lost three of their last four games and fall to 4-4.

“We got beat. No other way to sugar coat it,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said afterward.

A side note on the cleats

Williams also drew attention for his footwear. The AP reports he covered up the logo on his cleats after reportedly being fined about $35,000 over the past two weeks for displaying an unauthorized logo. He wore all-black shoes on Monday to avoid another run-in with the league, saying he wanted to keep things calm and not “create any BS toward the team.”

Injuries and what is next

Bears defensive linemen Grady Jarrett (groin) and Kenatvius Street (knee) left the game with injuries, and Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams left in the second half with a stinger and did not return.

Chicago hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday night, while Seattle hosts Arizona on Sunday.

Wrap-up

For the Bears, this was a complete performance and a sign that their big trade could be paying off right away. For the Seahawks, it is a reminder that a title does not guarantee a smooth defense of it.

Image: Clark Construction – FEDEX Field (Jack Kent Cooke Stadium) Looking NW by Duane Lempke via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0