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Another layer of preparation has been added for the Seattle Seahawks as they take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 8.
The Bears have made a big splash, acquiring All-Pro defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. The Bears sent a pair of first-rounders and a fourth-round pick for Simmons, who is one of the best defensive linemen in the league. That should certainly boost their defense as they face the Seahawks, who have been inconsistent with the run throughout the season.
This matchup should be intriguing to watch during the game as the Seahawks could see the return of rookie running back Jadarian Price and veteran Zach Charbonnet, who was activated to the 53-man roster ahead of last week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bears saw the Seahawks trade for Quenton Nelson earlier in the week from the Indianapolis Colts and felt they needed to make a trade themselves. Whether the reasoning behind the Simmons trade and the timing of it were a direct reaction to the Nelson deal remains to be seen. Still, it's hard to believe that the trade Seattle made earlier in the week didn't contribute to this.
By making a big trade for a high-level player, it sets the tone around the league that others need to improve the roster if they can, which is what Chicago ended up doing. They paid a much steeper price for Simmons than the Seahawks did for Nelson, but the idea was there.
The Week 8 contest also marks Nelson's potential debut with the team. Nelson is very familiar with Simmons from their duels in the AFC South twice a year ever since the latter joined the league in 2019.
Throughout Simmons' career against the Colts, he is 7-6 in 13 games. During those contests, he has recorded 51 tackles and seven for loss, with five sacks. When the Titans faced the Colts in Week 6, Simmons had six tackles, including two sacks and a fumble recovery as Tennessee beat Indianapolis 26-20 in their lone win this season.
Now, Nelson has a chance to get revenge on Simmons with their new teams in a game with much higher stakes.