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Last season, Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson was considered a turnover machine. At one point in 2018, Jackson had forced turnovers in three of the first four games.
Jackson capped an All-Pro season with six interceptions, two forced fumbles and amassed five touchdowns in his first two seasons.
But 2019 has been a different story for Jackson, who has failed to notch a single takeaway in nine games. Why is that?
“You know I really can’t even answer that,” Jackson said Tuesday, via NBC Sports Chicago. “We’ve just got to continue flying around and try to make plays on the ball.”
“That’s like a trick question – I really don’t know how to answer that. You’ve got to fly around. Guys got to make plays on the ball, strip the ball, or get in position to make plays and try to intercept it and things like that. Really don’t know.”
In fact, it’s approaching the one-year mark since Jackson last scored a touchdown. That came last Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions, where Jackson intercepted Matthew Stafford at a critical moment in the fourth quarter that gave the Bears a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
But it’s now been 12 games since his last takeaway, and Jackson is feeling the pressure.
“This is the longest it’s ever been in my life , playing football, without an interception, without a touchdown – ever,” he said. “So it’s getting stressful. I’m just happy we won the last game, but just being that type of competitor, you want the ball. It’s going to come, that’s all I can tell myself.”
Over his first two seasons, Jackson has established a reputation for always being around the ball, something that hasn’t been true this season. While he’s not making excuses, including learning Chuck Pagano’s scheme, he also knows that he needs to put himself in better situations to make plays.
“I’m one of my biggest critics, so I just feel like I need to get in more positions to make plays, if that makes any sense,” he said. “Like I said, it’s a different system, there are different things, so you’ve just got to buy in and control what you can control. And that’s dominating my square and my man. Wherever I’m in, just got to dominate that.”
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