With your defense on the field in a one-score game in the fourth quarter, what current safety do you want in the defensive backfield?
For Bears fans, the answer is easy. And the evidence certainly confirms as much.
Pro Football Focus examined the most clutch safeties in the fourth quarter of one-score games, and Eddie Jackson graded as the best safety in those situations.
Look no further than last season, when in back-to-back games against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, Jackson scored a touchdown off an interception that helped the Bears win two pivotal divisional games.
In just two short seasons, Jackson has established himself as one of the league’s premier safeties. During that time, Jackson has scored five defensive touchdowns, including three last season.
“The thing is, it’s like a closer for us,” Prince Amukamara said last season. “When we need a play, when we need to be able to score — you saw it against the Vikings and then you saw it against the Lions — he just always shows up. Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, and he’s been doing that.”
The Bears will certainly be relying on their big-time playmaker to continue making plays in those clutch situations, which will be a big contributing factor in the success of this defense in 2019.
