What a week for former Oregon Ducks in the NFL.
After a Sunday full of game-winning plays by former Ducks across the league and an incredible performance by Marcus Mariota to knock off the reigning Super Bowl champions, the success continued on Monday night in prime-time action.
Rookie safety Dillon Thieneman snagged his first NFL interception on Monday Night Football as the Chicago Bears took on the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Duck was a first-round pick by the Bears and has quickly become a leader for the defense in Chicago.
On a third-down pass at the goal line, Thieneman stepped in front of a pass from Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton to make an interception, denying Philadelphia an opportunity to tie the game in the second quarter. Thieneman was
quite active in the early portion of the game, leading the Bears defense with five tackles and a pass deflection before making the turnover.
Dillon Thieneman. First career INT 🚨@PHIvsCHI on ESPN
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2026
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Occasionally, it can take time for a rookie defender to settle into a role. However, Thieneman has been leaned on heavily from the start, and he's already looking like a steal in the back end of the first round. Thieneman led the Bears with 17 tackles and a pair of deflections entering Monday night.
In his lone season with the Ducks, Thieneman made 92 tackles from his safety position, while also snagging two interceptions and making five pass breakups. Before his time at Oregon, Thieneman racked up 210 tackles and six interceptions over two seasons at Purdue.
Thieneman has been one of Oregon's standouts from the 2026 NFL Draft, with tight end Kenyon Sadiq and linebacker Bryce Boettcher also making plenty of plays with their respective teams early in the NFL season. On a Bears defense that was in desperate need of help in the secondary, Thieneman's interception figures to be the first of many in his NFL career.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Chicago Bears S Dillon Thieneman snags first NFL interception
