The Chicago Bears will look to showcase their newest defensive addition on Monday night when they travel to Seattle, welcoming Jeffery Simmons to their defensive line against the Seahawks. Chicago's defense has played well at times this season, but they also had one of their worst plays of the season when they allowed an end of half touchdown to Rhamondre Stevenson on a screen pass in their victory over the New England Patriots last Thursday.
The Bears have been the talk of the league for the past few days following their acquisition of Simmons in a deal with the Tennessee Titans where Chicago gave up two first-round picks for the All-Pro defensive tackle. Not only will it be the Bears debut for Simmons, but veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards is also
set to return to action from a hamstring injury which he suffered in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Heading into one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, Chicago's defense will have to set the tone in this matchup with one of the best offensive players in the league standing across from them.
Unleash Jeffery Simmons
Not only do the Bears get an opportunity to unleash their new All-Pro defensive tackle, but they do so in a matchup where he's very much needed and his style of play could be an absolute game-changer for this matchup. Seattle has struggled with their protection on the interior of their offensive line, which is why they went out and acquired All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, who is quite familiar with Simmons from their time in the AFC South. Chicago should not only allow Simmons to play his own game, but they should have Montez Sweat and Austin Booker working side-by-side with Simmons to create havoc against the Seahawks offensive line and make life difficult for Sam Darnold.
Limit Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Bears have been able to contain superstar wide receivers as of late, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a different level of superstar wide receiver. Last year's NFL Offensive Player of the Year is a problem for all defenses, even when Sam Darnold is not playing up to his normal standard. JSN will likely be matched up against Jaylon Johnson for most of the game, but it'll take a group effort from Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Malik Muhammad on the outside to shut down Seattle's top weapon.
Win the turnover battle
Sam Darnold is going to be the biggest key in this game for the Bears defense, if Jeffery Simmons can create pressure on the Seahawks quarterback, and Smith-Njigba can be contained, then the Bears can really try to force mistakes. Especially with Kyler Gordon back on the field, the return of T.J. Edwards, and the arrival of Jeffery Simmons should be more than enough for the Bears to get after the football and look to win the turnover battle, where Seattle has 13 giveaways in their first seven games this season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 keys for Bears defense vs. Seahawks on Monday Night Football
