Jackson eager about chance to face Eagles
Safety Eddie Jackson has been looking forward to the Bears’ rematch Sunday against the Eagles more than most.
‘‘Most definitely,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘They took the playoff game from us, and I wasn’t able to play. But it’s time to finally see them again.’’
Jackson was in the midst of an All-Pro season last year when he suffered a high ankle sprain while returning an interception of a pass by Aaron Rodgers in Week 15. He missed the Bears’ last two regularseason games before being activated for the wild-card playoff game Jan. 6 against the Eagles at Soldier Field. But he didn’t play in the 16-15 loss.
‘‘There was a lot of frustration, being a playoff game,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘Just to see all we accomplished last year and not being able to be out there with my teammates, my brothers. It was definitely frustrating to watch.’’
Winning a regular-season game hardly would even things up, but facing the Eagles still figures to heighten the Bears’ attention.
‘‘I won’t say it’s bigger, but it’s definitely in the back of our minds what they took from us last year,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘So it’s definitely a thought.’’
Injury report
The absences of defensive end Akiem Hicks and guard Kyle Long — both on injured reserve — have had a detrimental effect on the Bears, but they are otherwise unusually healthy for Week 9 of an NFL season. Backup outside linebacker Isaiah Irving, who didn’t practice because of a quad injury, is the only player on the injury report.
For the Eagles, offensive tackle Jason Peters (knee), running back Miles Sanders (shoulder) and linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle) didn’t practice. Receiver DeSean Jackson (abdomen), defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot) and running back Darren Sproles (quad) were limited.
‘There’s a timeout ... ’
The Bears announced popular public-address announcer Jim Riebandt will retire at the end of the season, his 38th. He started as a backup to Chet Coppock in 1979 and became the full-time PA announcer at Soldier Field in 1982.
His signature shtick — ‘‘There’s a timeout,’’ followed by fans responding, ‘‘Where?’’ and Riebandt continuing, ‘‘on the field’’ — has entertained fans for years.
Where Eagles dare
The last time he faced the Eagles, quarterback Mitch Trubisky was stifled much of way before rallying in the fourth quarter of the playoff game. He completed 26 of 43 passes for 303 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions and finished with an 89.6 passer rating — higher than that of winning quarterback Nick Foles (77.7).
‘‘I think we could look at the film and see what they did against us,’’ Trubisky said. ‘‘I think that helps for this week, trying to find some schemes and tendencies. But we’ve realized every year’s different.
‘‘We’re going into a tough environment and playing a good football team. Gotta prepare. Gotta do what we do. And we’ll definitely be looking at last year’s film, see what works. See what they showed against us and just go from there.’’