Bears safety Eddie Jackson has been given a fresh start with Matt Eberflus, and the former All-Pro certainly made the most of that opportunity in Chicago’s season-opening win against the 49ers.
With San Francisco driving in the fourth quarter, Jackson came in clutch with an interception of quarterback Trey Lance, which led to a Khalil Herbert touchdown to give the Bears a two-possession lead.
“We knew that when they get in those stacks, they like to [run] a two-option play,” Jackson said. “So we saw tight end and just played the eyes [of Lance].”
During his first three seasons, Jackson was known for being a ballhawk. He totaled 10 interceptions during that span. But he failed to notch an interception over the last two years. Jackson’s pick of Lance was his first interception since the 2019 season finale against the Vikings.
“It felt good, especially in a situation and time like that to come up big for the team,” Jackson said. “Coach called a great call.”
But it wasn’t just Jackson who was making plays at safety for Chicago. Rookie Jaquan Brisker had a strong outing in his NFL debut, where he totaled four tackles, including one for loss, and recovered a Deebo Samuel fumble for the Bears’ first takeaway of the 2022 season.
Jackson believes they have the potential to be a potent safety duo in this league, and Brisker agreed.
“Like I told him, we’re going to be the best duo they’ve ever seen,” Jackson said. “He came up with that big play early. They were driving the ball and he recovered it. We’re just going to continue to come out here and capitalize and feed off each other and continue to make plays. I’m proud of him.”
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