Isaiah Simmons Shines in Cardinals Loss to Seahawks

Former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons had his best game of the season in Arizona's 28-21 loss to Seattle on Thursday night.

With each passing week, the rookie is seeing the field more often and the former Butkus Award winner was one of the few bright spots in the Cardinals road loss.

Simmons's speed was on full display as he led the team with 10 tackles, had two tackles for loss and a sack, the first of his young career. He also was credited with one pass breakup.

Isaiah Simmons 1st NFL SACK💪

https://t.co/8qeyXiisB4
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 20, 2020

“I will have to watch the film, but I definitely saw him flash," head coach Kill Kingsbury said afterward. "I felt like he was out there making plays,”

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph says Simmons' patience is now starting to pay off.

“He’s been patient, and it’s time,” Jospeh said of the rookie's performance.

Isaiah Simmons was the Cardinals best player last night as he finished with a team-high 10 tackles, 2 TFL, a sack, and a PBU.

He earned a 72 (2nd) overall grade, 66.9 (5th) in run defense, 84.3 (1st) in tackling, 70 (5th) in pass rush, and a 67.1 (2nd) in coverage - PFF #RedSea pic.twitter.com/lrJP8zHKRd
— Andy Kwong 🏈 (@akwong31) November 20, 2020

Simmons, who was the eighth overall pick of the Cardinals last April, began his career at Clemson as a safety before making the transition to linebacker, where he manned the pivotal SAM spot in Brent Venables' complex defense.

In 2019 Simmons recorded 107 tackles, had 16 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks. He also added 10 pass-breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He became the first player at Clemson to win the Butkus Award, which is given out annually to the nation's best linebacker, and was also a unanimous All-American selection, becoming just the sixth player in school history to accomplish the feat.

He finished his career at Clemson with 253 tackles, 28.5 TFL, 10.5 sacks, 22 pass breakups, and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Tʜᴇ Jᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ᴏғ Isᴀɪᴀʜ Sɪᴍᴍᴏɴs#NFLDraft | @isaiahsimmons25 pic.twitter.com/84IalbGoJi
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 24, 2020

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page.

Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter.

Add us as a preferred source on Google