Jaquan Brisker delivers show-stopping number, filling stat sheet in Chicago Bears win over Rams
CHICAGO - In the second quarter, Jaquan Brisker made a play.
The Chicago Bears' safety trailed Rams tight end Colby Parkinson, and zipped in front of a Matthew Stafford pass for an interception.
Or, so he thought. The referees ruled that he didn't re-establish himself after coming back in bounds. It was ruled incomplete but the Rams tacked on a field goal.
Right then, Brisker knew he had to get it back.
"I owe the team one," Brisker said after the game. "Just stay locked in, stay focused and try to get the ball at some point on the day."
Brisker did that and more.
Filling the stat sheet, Brisker acted as a one-man wrecking ball on Sunday against the Rams and head coach Sean McVay's vaunted offense. On a defensive roster of standouts, Brisker stole the show.
He had 12 total tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass break up and a quarterback hit on the ground.
In the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, Brisker iced the win with that elusive interception. Darrell Taylor and DeMarcus Walker bore down on Stafford, and Brisker snagged Stafford's errant throw to the left side.
"Jaquan was outstanding today," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "He really is a passionate guy, and that's why he's one of our first draft picks."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 29: Jaquan Brisker #9 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after his interception against the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on September 29, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Ge
In Brisker's three years in Chicago, he's begun to establish himself as a defender the Bears can use in a myriad of ways.
His ability to tackle is a luxury the Bears don't overlook. On third and seven, with the Rams possessing the ball down six with a chance to take the lead, the Rams' dump off pass got five yards but Brisker stonewalled Kyren Williams with a leveled shoulder hit.
The Rams punted but got the ball back with just over a minute to go.
That's when Brisker sealed the win with his interception.
"I just get a credit to the coaches," Brisker said. "Before I went out there, they told us what they were going run and things like that and I trusted what they said and went out there and did what I did."
Brisker was also active in the pass rush game.
The Bears showed in the preseason how they like using defensive backs on blitzes. Eberflus' defense has earned some notoriety for being aggressive, and the defensive back blitzes have been a reason why.
In the preseason, Kyler Gordon made plays off blitzes. On Sunday, Brisker showed he could do it too. He sacked Stafford on second and 10 from the Bears' 36-yard line in the fourth quarter to hold the Rams to a field goal.
In a game where the defense needed to hold a couple of times in the fourth quarter, it all added up to be the difference.
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The Bears' offense scored 24 points on Sunday. It was a breakout game for the offensive unit that was highly criticized this week for their struggles against a Colts team they should have beaten on the road. Against the Rams, the Bears played complimentary football.
The offense scored points and ground down the clock. That put pressure on the Rams' offense but it also played into the Bears' defense's strength.
Letting the Bears' defense get aggressive can spell trouble for other teams. When the Rams were backed up against their own end zone in the second quarter, Montez Sweat got to Stafford and forced a fumble on a strip sack.
In the fourth quarter, the pass rush allowed Brisker to make the Rams pay again. But, that mistake ended the game.
"You could feel all three phases, really, to seal the deal on the game," Eberflus said. "You get the stops on defense, offense does a great job with the clock at the very end, and then we get that interception."
Playing complimentary football is something Brisker said is the expectation.
"We should really be dominating," Brisker said. "Once we get everybody coming in together, everybody doing their job and things like that and play calls, things like that, everything line up right, you should be dominant.
The Bears already have one NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Tyrqiue Stevenson had that honor after his breakout game against the Titans.
Time will tell if Brisker is going to earn the same accolade, but his performance on Sunday was the product of the Bears doing what they expect to do.
"This is the year for us to be dominating," Brisker said.