The Chicago Bears defense is back! Best in the league
If you claim that the sentence above didn’t cross your mind at any point throughout Sunday’s game, you’re either a liar or the most level-headed NFL fan in existence. Throughout a game that was hard to watch, Chicago somehow came home with a win. If you’re a fan of offense, this was not the game for you, but Chuck Pagano’s defense finally looked as though it’s hitting stride.
Eddie Jackson was all over the field, bringing us back to a simpler year in 2018. It started with the forced fumble that you see in the photo above and continued with another pick-six that was eventually called back. I don’t know if anyone is keeping track, but that’s eight total touchdowns for the safety since he joined the league. That does, of course, include multiple touchdowns that have been called back… but still.
Beyond just Jackson, this unit was at peak performance. The only touchdown that Carolina scores was on a drive where they compiled most of their yards via penalties. I would argue that even the rookie Jaylon Johnson looked good despite being picked on by Teddy Bridgewater throughout the game.
All-in-all, these guys re-established themselves as another elite unit in the league. They’re probably not the best defense quite yet, but they’ve definitely put themselves on the map.