Each of the Bears' last three opponents has ended their opening drive by turning the ball over to coordinator Dennis Allen's defense.
Taking the ball away on the first possession has proved to set the tone for the remaining of the game for the Bears defense. During their three-game winning streak, the Bears have generated 11 takeaways — the most in the NFL during that span — and have recorded at least three turnovers in three straight contests for the first time since 2023.
Safety Jaquan Brisker served as the tone-setter during the Bears' 25-24 win in Washington, recording his first interception of the year by picking off Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in the red zone.
"It felt great getting my first interception in a while, and then obviously on Monday night, once again in a big time game," Brisker told ChicagoBears.com. "It felt amazing to give the team the ball. It was a great feeling."
Brisker's interception drought was top of mind for the third-year safety, who emphasized in the locker room after the game that it had been 20 games since he recorded a pick.
"[I] finally got the ball," he stressed.
The safety's playmaking ability showed up at an opportune time as Daniels and the Commanders were well into Bears territory on their first drive, reaching the Chicago 21-yard line.
But on a ball over the middle intended for veteran receiver Deebo Samuel, Brisker dropped back in coverage before jumping the route, securing the ball and returning it it 32 yards the other way.
"I was seeing the motion," Brisker said. "I was kind of reading off of Tremaine [Edmunds], but I ended up carrying it, gave him a little space, read the quarterback and broke on it, then went to go take it. As soon as I got it, I was like, 'I gotta go score.' I'd seen some of my blockers to the right, so I was cutting to the left, then I planted my foot and kept running. I saw the quarterback and tried to hit him with a little basketball pivot step, but he got me.
"But really just seeing the ball, reading the route concept and then just attack the ball once I saw the quarterback throw it."
Brisker's pick took the Bears' interception total to eight — the second-most in the league behind the Jaguars, who have 10 while playing one more game. Five different Bears players have recorded picks this season. Safety Kevin Byard III leads the way with three, which is tied for second in the NFL, Edmunds has two and cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright, along with Brisker, each have one.
"Starting in practice, coach Al [Harris], all the coaches say we need three or four interceptions, and guys are staying true to that," Brisker said. "Guys are hungry, ball hungry. We want the ball. So, you could tell."
Brisker described the entire defense as "ball hungry," adding that "once one gets started, the [takeaways] come in bunches." That sentiment once again proved true in Washington as the Bears forced another turnover on the Commanders' second drive.
With two minutes remaining in the first quarter, running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt took a handoff five yards behind the line of scrimmage and ran left. Defensive end Montez Sweat came from the opposite side of the line, jumped over an offensive lineman and knocked the ball loose as Croskey-Merritt tried to spin out of a tackle. Linebacker T.J. Edwards swarmed to the ball and recovered the fumble.
The forced fumble was Sweat's first of the year and 13th of his career. Stepping up against the team that drafted him in 2019 was an important moment to Sweat.
"I was just coming down the line," Sweat told ChicagoBears.com. "I saw the ball, and I punched at it. It felt great to impact the game in that way. The entire D-line did a great job of setting the edge and bouncing the runner back to me, and I just capitalized on the opportunity. It's something that we've practiced very hard at, something that the coaches preach very hard. And when you win the turnover battle, you put yourself in a good position to win the game."
About three minutes later, quarterback Caleb Williams scored the first touchdown of the day on a 1-yard run to put the Bears up 13-0 in the second quarter.
That example of complementary football is exactly why the defense stresses the value of takeaways. Edwards, who returned from a hamstring injury against the Commanders, told reporters on Wednesday that the group starts each week of practice with some type of takeaway drill. While Edwards acknowledges that weekly training is common among teams, he believes the intent in which this group conducts those drills has helped force more takeaways.
"I think it's getting everyone to the ball. It's such a huge part of this game, and how takeaways happen too," Edwards said. "Whether it's the D-line and getting out of the stack when the pass is thrown, and then next thing you know, he's knocking the ball out. I go back to Tez's too where he's kind of just ripping up the field, and he sees the back late and is able to put a punch on the ball.
"But you just never know when that play's going to come. And I think we do a really good job of making that a point of emphasis, of just making sure that if there's a play to be made on the ball, like anyone can go make it. We're kind of seeing that come to fruition a little bit and, and also, I think it's just guys wanting to go make those plays."
The Bears' third and final takeaway Monday was the most crucial one of the night, when cornerback Nahshon Wright recovered a botched handoff at the Chicago 45-yard line on third-and-1 with 3:10 left and the Bears trailing 24-22.
Wright's fumble recovery allowed Williams to engineer his second consecutive game-winning drive, which ended in a 38-yard field goal by Jake Moody as time expired.
"I think again, when you put yourself in the right spots, I think without Shonny (Wright) coming off the edge and being right there to go try to make a TFL, I don't think we get that ball," Edwards said. "So I think it's everyone getting to the ball. And that's, again, a point of emphasis.
"We see that crazy things happen in this league all the time. We've been on the other side of things like that. So, you know, it feels good to have one go our way, for sure."
Each of the Bears' last three wins wouldn't have come to fruition without them playing complementary football, with the streak of three-plus takeaways per game arguably being the biggest factor.
The energy those takeaways have brought not only to the defense, but the entire team throughout game has also left a lasting impact on the locker room.
Still, the group feels far from finished.
"It's definitely different in the locker room," Brisker said. "Like I said, it starts in practice. You can feel it. The energy is different in practice. The way guys are getting closer, the way we meet without the coaches and things like that, and then the way we communicate on and off the field, it's amazing.
"You can tell things are trending up, and guys are believing."
