NFL PREVIEW

Nelson and Simmons set for another Monday night matchup

Quenton Nelson is expected to start at left guard for Seattle, while Jeffery Simmons joins Chicago after a trade from Tennessee.

Johan Cruiff

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Quenton Nelson and Jeffery Simmons are preparing for another head-to-head matchup, this time as Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears, respectively. The NFL preview says the teams will meet in Seattle on Monday night; the game has not been played.

Nelson arrived in Seattle in a trade from the Indianapolis Colts, while Simmons was traded from the Tennessee Titans to Chicago. The NFL did not provide a calendar date for the game in the supplied report.

A familiar matchup in new uniforms

Nelson and Simmons have faced each other in AFC South games over the past eight seasons. According to the NFL, the Colts won seven of the 13 games in which both players appeared. Simmons recorded 51 tackles, five sacks and 44 pressures in those matchups, with the pressure figure attributed to TruMedia.

Both players entered the league as first-round picks: Nelson in 2018 and Simmons in 2019. Their trades set up another meeting, now with Nelson on Seattle’s offensive line and Simmons in Chicago’s defense.

Seattle plans a change at guard

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Nelson is expected to start at left guard. Grey Zabel is set to move to right guard, with Anthony Bradford moving to the bench after returning from injury.

Seattle is adding Nelson to an offensive line that the NFL report says has struggled at times this season. The report also notes that the line produced what Macdonald called its best performance of the season in a 20-3 win over Kansas City, rushing for 153 yards.

Left tackle Charles Cross is dealing with an ankle injury. If he is not cleared to play, reserve Josh Jones would replace him. Nelson is also learning offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s terminology, according to the report.

Chicago works to bring Simmons up to speed

Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said the team would narrow its playbook for Simmons after his trade, with only three days to prepare before the game. Allen said Simmons’s professionalism and study habits should help him adjust quickly.

The matchup will test Seattle’s revamped blocking group against a defensive lineman who has repeatedly faced Nelson. Their next meeting is scheduled for Monday night in Seattle, but the supplied NFL report does not give the event’s calendar date.