Jeffery Simmons stood on the sidelines telling people something they were all realizing as the game went by and the Bears were dominating Seattle's offense.

"I was on the sideline and I was so juiced up and I was like, 'We don't need to blitz. I feel like if we can win the line of scrimmage without the blitz that makes those guys job on the back end so much easier," Simmons told reporters after the game.

The defensive line made it much easier for a secondary that really needed the help. The Bears had 15 pressures and three sacks of Sam Darnold, with two more getting wiped out by penalties. They did it with their front four, they did it with Simmons taking double teams away from other defenders because he came out like a holy terror in the Bears' 34-17 victory.

"I thought he played outstanding," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "He got one of the game balls. To come in there and have a share of the lead in tackles and a sack in the first game, his impact was profound."

Simmons had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in

his debut, the most TFLs ever made by a Bears non-rookie in a debut,

Simmons anchored the defensive line that got pressure on Darnold consistently with only a few blitzes. They rattled Darnold enough to limit Seattle's QB to 17 of 34 for 188 yards with an interception by defensive end James Lynch off a ball tipped by defensive end Austin Booker. The sack devastation would have looked even more devastating if not for two penalties on the Bears secondary wiping out two Montez Sweat sacks.

As it was, Sweat used being paired with his former college teammate, Simmons, to get his third sack of the year and join in the pressure parade. Sweat was coming off his two-week suspension for a PED violation and Simmons gave him some advice.

"Get back to the old Sweat," he said.

Simmons' own sack early in the game set a tone. He got a hand on Darnold's shoulder as he went by and yanked the Seahawks QB to the ground on first-and-10 in the first quarter. Earlier in the week, Simmons had only two days to practice the scheme and was working late at night on Friday and Saturday to try to take in as much of the game plan as he could.

"I mean I'm in shape, that wasn't my problem," Simmons said. "My biggest thing was how fast can I learn this game plan and it's the same thing moving forward."

Like he said, one day he was getting ready to play Cincinnati and the next he's got to switch course to playing against Seattle and his longtime nemesis, former Colts guard Quenton Nelson.

A change of approach has helped the eight-year veteran figure out the game.

"I used to set all these goals," Simmons said. "I want 10 sacks, I want tackles for loss.

"I feel like when I stop setting those goals and I just try to be in the moment, be present, that's when the team got the best Jeffery Simmons. And that's what it was tonight.

"When I attacked the field, I wasn't worried about the trade. I wasn't worried about all the outside noise. All I was worried about was winning. That's going to be my goal the rest of my career, just be in the moment and help the team win football games."

Quarterback Caleb Williams even liked what he saw happening on the other side of the football.

"I'm happy he's on our side," Williams said. "He helps everybody on that field on the defense, he helps the D-line. When he gets double-teamed he frees up other guys to be able to be special and when he gets one on ones it allows him to wreak havoc.

"I'm excited he's on our team. He's a key piece and we've got to keep going."