The Bears might have just become a Super Bowl favorite.
Chicago traded for Jeffery Simmons last week and saw him completely transform their defense in a 34-17 win over the Seahawks after they shipped two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Titans for him.
The Bears allowed an obscene three yards per play when Simmons was on the field (55 snaps), compared to 13.3 yards per play on plays that he was on the sidelines.
Simmons was only on the sidelines for eight defensive snaps, but in those eight plays, the Seahawks feasted on the Bears’ suspect secondary.
The Bears are allowing 7.7 yards per pass attempt this season, the second-worst figure in the league despite strong results as a team through eight weeks.
“Man, I’m so excited to be a Chicago Bear,” Simmons said postgame after six tackles, a sack, and a pass defended.
On the field talking to ESPN’s sideline reporter Laura Rutledge, Simmons revealed that he is just excited to play for a team that’s looking to compete after spending his first eight-plus seasons with the Titans.
“It means a lot to me to be able to play meaningful football,” Simmons said. “It’s so fun to see them scoring that many points, and then being able to just pin our ears back and help get off the field on third down.”
The Bears are looking like one of the early contenders to win it all behind an explosive offense that is second in the league in rushing yards per game (150.8).
Chicago has another primetime showcase next week when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football.”
