Jackson said every linebacker stepped up throughout the week to ensure everyone was equally prepared. He credited both Tremaine Edmunds — who was placed on injured reserve Saturday — and T.J. Edwards for their efforts, despite neither veteran being on the field Sunday.
"They didn't check out," Jackson said. "They didn't check out with trying to help one another. Every single day, it was like, 'hey, man, you need to watch extra film?' and they didn't mind staying back extra. They didn't mind coming in early. Even on the sidelines, they're right there in my ear telling me what they see, what they see out of me and how I could play it. So they were just a huge support mentally for me out there."
While Hyppolite started the game at weakside linebacker, he injured his shoulder near the end of the first quarter, which meant Amen Ogbongbemiga would have to play the remaining three quarters alongside Jackson.
Ogbongbemiga missed the Bears' first eight games after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury before the start of the regular season. The five-year veteran, who mainly saw time on special teams while appearing in all 17 games last season, became emotional when discussing his opportunity Sunday.
"Honestly, I've been through so much this year, injuries and stuff," Ogbongbemiga said. "I've never really been hurt in my career, so this one meant a lot. Going into the week, I didn't get many reps. As a competitor, that bothers me because I know what I'm capable of. Sometimes you've just got to believe in yourself. Just keep believing in yourself. So, that's what I did – stayed locked in and just gave it my all. I was staying prepared. I know how the games goes, anything can happen, so I prepared like I was a starter.
"It's just a blessing. Shoutout to everyone that stuck by me … I missed eight games this year and that's never happened to me. So it was just humbling, and I'm just blessed."
Ogbongbemiga was right behind Jackson on the stat sheet with 14 tackles. The pair was flying all over the field against Pittsburgh and helped limit the Steelers to just one score and 134 total yards in the second half.
"We all came into this, we've got to hold the rope, man," Ogbongbemiga said. "Hold up the standard. T.J., Tremaine, Noah [Sewell], they've set a high standard. We wanted it to be like there was no drop off. We gave it our all, we prepared like no other. It was countless hours. Shout out to Coach Kev (assistant linebackers coach Kevin Koch) giving us whatever we needed. It paid off in a huge way."