What Eddie Jackson's Absence Can Mean for Bears

The Bears on Sunday play without Eddie Jackson for the 12th time and ninth since he signed a four-year, $58.4 million contract extension.

It doesn't bode well for them when Jackson is out of the lineup.

The Bears have lost nine straight times when Jackson wasn't in the lineup, starting with the double-doink playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2018 season.

They lost all five starts without him last year, all three in 2021. 

In those games and the 2018 playoff game, they gave up an average of 26.2 points, 228 passing yards and 346.7 yards overall

Last year Jackson went out with a foot injury in Week 12 against the Jets and the Bears defense handled it poorly.

In losing all five games after Jackson's injury last year, their struggling defense was especially affected. They allowed an average of 410.4 yards, with the low being 341.

Last year they still had veteran DeAndre Houston-Carson available to start with Jackson injured. They didn't sign DHC back this year and he was with Baltimore briefly in preseason, then on Houston's practice squad and available if they had wanted to bring him back. But he was moved up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster this week by the Texans due to an injury in the secondary.

In 2021 the Bears defense still ranked in the top half of the league and in the three starts Jackson missed plus the 2018 playoff game they never gave up more than 300 yards total offense or 258 yards passing even though they lost.

The only times the Bears have won since Jackson became a starter and was out of the lineup were the two games immediately after he suffered an ankle injury on a return of the interception that clinched the 2018 NFC North title against Green Bay. They won those two games prior to their double-doink playoff loss,

Jackson's replacement Sunday will be Elijah Hicks, who has started twice. It will be Hicks' 18th NFL game and third start.

The statistics haven't exactly been Hicks' friend. According to Sportradar, in his two seasons, Hicks has been targeted eight times and allowed seven receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. That's a passer rating against of 158.3, which is the worst possible passer rating against a defensive back can have.

When Jaquan Brisker also went out with heat exhaustion last week, they were down to playing rookie Quindell Johnson alongside Hicks. Johnson was waived by the Rams and claimed by the Bears just before the season. They have elevated second-year player A.J. Thomas from the practice squad at the position for Sunday, but Brisker later returned to the game last week and was not on the injury report this week.

It also must be noted, in the games the Bears played without Jackson, they didn't face Patrick Mahomes. They did face Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Josh Allen, though.