SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Brandon Marshall had a confession to make after the Bears' exciting 28-20 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night at Levi's Stadium.
The Pro Bowl receiver admitted that in training camp he watched tape of the one-on-one battles he lost to rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller to get a better read on the first-round draft pick.
Fuller displayed those skills on a national stage Sunday night, intercepting two Colin Kaepernick passes in the fourth quarter after Kyle Fuller had exited with a triceps' injury.
"I told [Fuller] it's not about starting, it's not about making a Pro Bowl," Marshall said. "For him he needs to have Hall of Fame on his brain because that kid can play."
Fuller's first interception came when he plucked Kaepernick's pass away from Michael Crabtree, jumped to his feet and returned it to the San Francisco 6.
"I was just going in initially really just to get a [pass breakup] and then the ball happened to be there and I happened to make a play," Fuller said.
The Bears converted the interception into Jay Cutler's 3-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett, taking their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 13:14 left in the fourth quarter.
Fuller struck again on the 49ers' next possession, drifting over to intercept Kaepernick's pass intended for tight end Derek Carrier and returning it 18 yards to the San Francisco 42.
Four plays later, Cutler rifled a 3-yard TD pass to Marshall, increasing the Bears' lead to 28-20 with 6:55 remaining.
"The second one was a scatter situation with the quarterback out of the pocket," Fuller said. "I was just playing my technique, doing my job and the play came. I happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Fuller became the first Bears rookie to intercept two passes in a game since Chris Harris, who's now an assistant coach with the team, accomplished the feat in 2005.
"It gives you great confidence," Fuller said. "You're definitely thankful for it, but you want to build on it, so I'm going to continue to work hard."
Marshall wasn't surprised to see the rookie excel against the high-powered 49ers on national TV.
"He has no fear," Marshall said. "There's no wide receiver, no moment that's bigger than he is. He has a great skillset, but better yet his attitude is amazing and his approach to the game is amazing."
"From Day 1 you could tell he could play," Cutler said. "You could tell he was going to be really good in this league. You'd think he was in this league five or six years the way he carries himself. It's fun to watch him."
