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Five Bears Whose Stock Went Up or Down in NFL Week 8 Win Over Seahawks
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- Five Bears Whose Stock Went Up or Down in NFL Week 8 Win Over Seahawks
SEATTLE -- The Chicago Bears came out swinging against the reigning Super Bowl champions at Lumen Field.
Chicago's defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, and safety Cam Lewis delivered a big hit to get the defense off the field. Quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense continued that momentum, methodically moving down the field on a 17-play, 80-yard drive
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But just like the Bears did last week against the Patriots, the defense gave up a touchdown right before the end of the half, making it a four-point game.
Just like the Week 7 matchup, the Bears were able to overcome that mistake and defeated the Seahawks 34-17
Here are the five players who raised or lowered their stock in the Week 8 win.
Stock Up: Jeffery Simmons
The Bears have a monster on the interior of their defensive line, someone that makes his presence felt on every single snap. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive lineman is easy to spot with his vibrant orange sleeves.
He made a tackle on his first defensive snap of the game, helping the Bears force a three-and-out. To start Chicago's second series, Simmons showed exactly why the Bears made the trade for the All-Pro. He beat guard Grey Zabel with a quick inside move and brought down quarterback Sam Darnold with his left arm.
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That Seahawks drive ended also ended in a punt.
He assisted on a tackle on the Bears' third defensive possession. On third-and-goal from Chicago's 15-yard line, Simmons beat Zabel again, tossing the Seahawks' guard to force the ball out of Darnold's hands. Seattle settled for a field goal.
It just felt like Simmons was everywhere on every snap of the game. He's a nightmare for opposing offensive lines to face, and the Bears have that type of player on their defense.
Stock Up: Luther Burden III
The Bears' second-year receiver continues to prove he is a reliable target for quarterback Caleb Williams. On Chicago's 17-play, 80-yard drive, Burden caught all four of his targets, including a 1-yard touchdown.
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Earlier in the drive, he kept the Bears' offense on the field with his 5-yard pickup on third-and-4.
He generated the team's first explosive passing play with a 23-yard gain on first down. The Bears turned that big play and scored a 44-yard field goal.
Burden ended the game with seven receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Stock Up: Rome Odunze
Wide receiver Rome Odunze didn't catch a single pass on the Bears' first four offensive possessions, but that wasn't an issue for the third-year player.
The Bears' playmakers come in waves, and Odunze was next up after Burden started the game. Odunze caught his first two passes for 42 yards. His second reception, a 24-yard gain, came off a direct snap to D'Andre Swift, who pitched the ball to Williams in the backfield, and the Bears' quarterback fired a pass to his receiver.
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Odunze caught two passes on the Bears' second offensive drive of the game, both going for explosive gains: 23 yards and 22 yards. Those chunk yards moved the Bears down the field, and Swift finished it off with a 1-yard score.
Odunze finished the game as the team's leading receiver with four catches for 87 yards.
Stock Up: Austin Booker
Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker made two of the biggest plays in the win over the Seahawks. The third-year player blocked a 33-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. That kept the score at 20-9.
With 6:01 left in the fourth quarter, Booker extended with his 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame and tipped Darnold's pass on third-and-7. Veteran defensive lineman James Lynch caught the interception and set the Bears' offense at Seattle's 6-yard line.
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Booker kept point off the board for Seattle and put his offense in position to score. That's a team player right there.
Stock Up: Montez Sweat
With Montez Sweat reunited with Simmons -- his college teammate -- the Bears' defensive end took advantage of the attention that naturally went to the All-Pro tackle.
Sweat sacked Darnold on the Seahawks' first offensive possession in the third quarter. The veteran defensive end capitalized on his one-on-one, beating the right tackle inside to bring down the quarter.
Of course, Simmons was excited to see his teammate finish the play.
Throughout the course of a game, Sweat had two sacks negated because of penalties. Even though the other sacks didn't count, that doesn't take away what Sweat did in this game.
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Honorable Mention:
Stock Up: Kalif Raymond
The Bears' veteran wide receiver can best be described as reliable in every single way. He also has a knack for making some big plays when the Bears need them most.
His 39-yard run on third-and-9 midway through the fourth quarter set D'Andre Swift up for a 5-yard TD run. Raymond also caught 9-yard pass on second-and-10 that set the offense up at the Seattle 3-yard line. The Bears scored two plays later.
