Bears DL Jeffery Simmons Backs Trash Talk With Dominant Play on the Field.

SEATLLE -- The Chicago Bears' defense took the field for the first time in the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks after Caleb Williams and the offense went three-and-out to start the half. 

As the two teams waited to resume play during a TV timeout, Jeffery Simmons stood around the Seahawks' 27-yard line and looked in the direction of the offensive line. Even from the press box point of view it was evident what was happening on the field. Simmons had some words to say to his opponent as he stared down the Seahawks' O-line.

Chicago's defense forced a three-and-out on that possession. Williams and the offense responded with a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. The Bears fed off of Simmons' energy he displayed throughout the entire game in his debut and defeated the reining Super Bowl champs, 34-17, at Lumen Field on Monday Night Football. 

Someone who knows all about Simmons' trash talking is Montez Sweat. The two were college teammates at Mississippi State for two seasons. But does Simmons talk more trash now than he did in college? 

"It's more," Sweat said as he laughed. "It's more, but I mean we love that. It's between the lines. Off the field he's probably soft as anybody, so, but yeah, it's good to have that in-between the lines."

But Simmons is far more than just talk. He backs up every word he says and that's evident in his aggressive, all-effort play style that he unleashes on every snap. Simmons finished the game with six total tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons played 55 of 63 total defensive snaps (87.3%), slightly topping his 86.7% average through the first seven weeks in Tennessee. 

"Our guys were excited the moment they heard the news we were bringing him on and he's fit right in," Bears head coach Ben Johnson said postgame. "We have a high character locker room and he's that himself. You can feel his presence out there, whether it's during the play or even after the play. You can feel him talk a little smack as well which I think that elevates everybody around him. I thought he played outstanding. He got one of the game balls. To come in there and have a share of the lead of tackles and a sack in his first game, his impact was profound."

That was the feeling among the Bears as they watched the 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle create mayhem for the Seahawks' offense. On the first play of the game, Simmons fought off a block and made a tackle. He sacked Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold on his fourth snap as a Bear on the team's second defensive series, quickly beating guard Gray Zabel inside and bringing down the quarterback with one arm. 

"I'm happy, he's Jefe," Williams said. "I'm happy he's on our side. He helps everybody on the field on the defense. He helps the D-line when he gets double-teamed, he frees up other guys to be able to go be special and when he gets one-on-ones, it allows him to wreak havoc and so I'm excited he's on our team. He's a big key piece for us and we got to focus on keep going."

Simmons left his mark in his Bears' debut. Before the game started, Simmons shared during his postgame press conference that he got emotional during the National Anthem. He had a new jersey on for the first time since 2019. To help regulate those emotions, Simmons simply played football. 

"They gave me a one-on-one and I was able to take full advantage," Simmons on his first-quarter sack. "If you’re going to try to block me one-on-one, I need to go win the one-on-one. When I don’t win my one-on-one, the coaches should be on me, I hold myself to a high standard. When I get those opportunities, it’s not very often I’m getting a one-on-one. They gave me the one-on-one against their right guard, and I was like, ‘I need to go win this.’ It felt good to get my first one, especially in my first game here. It felt great actually, to get my first sack as a Chicago Bear. I’m here to do my job and help this team win football games.”