Every Thursday throughout the 2020 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.
October 22, 2017: Eddie Jackson scores two touchdowns to lead the Bears past the Panthers
Remember when Chicago Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson was just a mid-round rookie who had much to prove following a broken leg suffered in college? It feels like a lifetime ago that he was an unknown commodity, but that changed on this day three years ago when the Bears took on the Carolina Panthers on a rainy, October afternoon.
Like most games against Carolina, which always seem to take place in the month of October for some reason, this one was painful to watch at times. The Bears generated very little offense, totaling just 153 total yards, 70 of which came on one play as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky found rookie running back Tarik Cohen for a 70-yard gain. Trubisky only threw the ball seven times but he didn’t need to light it up that day thanks to Jackson and the defense.
Jackson shined on this day, scooping up a fumbled pitch from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, returning the ball for the game’s first score. Later in the half, Newton’s pass to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was tipped and intercepted by Jackson, who once again ran to the endzone to put the Bears up 14-0. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to have multiple defensive touchdowns of 75 yards or more. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star has himself a day, but the rest of the Bears defense showed up to play as well.
Newton and the Panthers offense scored just three points on the day and threw two interceptions while getting sacked five times on the day. Neither offense performed well by any means but the Bears were able to play mistake-free football to preserve the lead. This win also marked the Bears first winning streak in nearly two years. While it didn’t mean much in the end seeing as the team only had five victories on the season, this game marked the beginning of the Eddie Jackson era in Chicago.