When Jeffery Simmons took the field for the first time as a member of the Chicago Bears, it didn't take long for fans to have a serious realization: this guy changes everything.
From the very first drive when Kyler Gordon laid a hit on Sam Darnold and then Cam Lewis brought the thunder with a lick on Seahawks wideout Tory Horton, the energy, physicality and effort was all there, and it was at an all-time high.
Simmons truly made his mark in just one game.
After the statement win, Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke to the media and said a few nice things about his new defensive tackle before he paused, briefly, and ended with this:
"His impact was profound."
That it was, and it was impossible for even Packers fans to ignore, but that's a different story altogether.
Jeffery Simmons' impact on Bears-Seahawks jumped off the screen
On that very first drive, you could tell the Bears' defense was juiced. The energy was contagious. The whole group was buzzing.
They knew what they were about to witness would be special.
On Simmons' second drive of the game, he registered his first sack as a Bear, and it was a display of sheer domination on his part. Seahawks guard Grey Zabel had absolutely no chance as soon as the ball was snapped. Simmons was already gone, and soon, Darnold would hit the grass.
It was two-straight punts for the Seahawks' offense to start the game, and then, on the third drive, you noticed a change.
On Seattle's third offensive drive, Simmons started on the sideline as he was getting a breather. The Seahawks wasted no time moving the football. In the blink of an eye, they were inside the Bears' 10-yard line.
Then, Simmons came back onto the field.
Instead of Seattle's offense moving the ball just a bit more and scoring a touchdown, they had to settle for a field goal. Sandwiched between a first-down collective run stop and a third-down stop by the defense was an absolutely brilliant play by Simmons on second down, where the Seahawks tried a screen. It was stopped for a loss.
All throughout the game, immediately after Simmons would leave the field to get a breather, the Bears' defense would suffer the consequences. It was like clockwork.
This unit was completely different with him on the field, and to put forth a display like this against the reigning Super Bowl champions was truly saying something.
Jeffery Simmons' 'profound' impact looks like it'll help one player more than anyone else
The biggest beneficiary of Simmons, in this one, had to be his former college teammate Montez Sweat.
Bears fans saw a different version of no. 98 in this game. He looked rejuvenated, playing with his hair on fire at all times.
Sweat might have only ended with 1.0 sack in the box score, but he actually had 3.0 on the night, with two of them wiped away due to penalties in the secondary.
Sweat looked downright unstoppable, all thanks to a Mississippi State reunion.
After the game and in the locker room, fans got to see this bond firsthand as Sweat and Simmons stood side by side during Ben Johnson's "Good, Better, Best" chant. Both of them ate up every moment of that together, chanting along with their coach and smiling from ear to ear.
From the looks of how Sweat played against Seattle, the Bears won't need to worry about trading for a pass rusher before this year's trade deadline. In dealing for Simmons, their entire defensive line was upgraded, and Sweat's performance proved just that.
If this is how Simmons and Sweat kicked off their reunion together, I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.
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