Stevenson responds after tough start, sparks Bears’ defense

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 8 hours ago

CHICAGO - Watching cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was frustrating through the first two weeks of the season.

This was especially true against the Detroit Lions, where quarterback Jared Goff completed 100 percent of his passes against him and had a perfect quarterback rating when throwing toward Stevenson.

“Last week just showed me I need to hone in on the small details and stay consistent at everything that I do as far as coming in, making sure I understand the plays, making sure I’m working on myself, making sure I’m taking care of my body, making sure I’m taking the right meds and just making sure everything that I do on a consistent basis to lead up to the game is true and I stayed true to that process,” Stevenson said.

Following the loss against the Lions, the Chicago defense had a players-only meeting. This is an unusual thing for just the defense to do.

However, after giving up 52 points, they realized that some brutal honesty was needed among the players.

“We come out strong against the Vikings and we don’t finish, and then we come out and we lay a goose egg against Detroit, just making sure that we know that the work and the (preparation) that we put in doesn’t show that,” Stevenson said. “Just making sure that we can always come back and put our best foot forward, and that’s really what this week was - putting our best foot forward, and now next week is taking another step towards it.”

One thing that has been incredibly clear about Stevenson throughout his time in the league is that he is highly emotional. Sometimes, this has been to his own detriment. However, it can also serve as motivation, which is precisely how it played out against the Dallas Cowboys.

On Dallas’ opening drive, it appeared the Cowboys were going to go right down the field and score after running back Javonte Williams broke out in a 22-yard run.

However, Stevenson ripped the ball out of Williams’ hands to generate the turnover and give the ball back to Chicago’s offense.

“We had a three and out. Definitely (not) what we want and for me to be able to spark the momentum, I felt it. The whole team felt it. I’m glad I was able to make that play for us … Honestly, I just realized he didn’t want it. He didn’t want the ball. When he was running with it and I kind of see it, they preach ball security and I (saw) it as he was looking for the block, I (was just) like, ‘He don’t want it. So, I’m going (to) just take it,” Stevenson said. “I didn’t even know I toe-tapped. I just was really going after the ball and once I swipe down to take it, everything else after that was just me being a football player … Just knowing where you’re at on the field, just making sure that you can be the athlete you are. Just making sure that when you close to the sideline and I kind of knew we was on the sideline. Once I got off the block, I reestablished myself back in and I knew we was dangling on that line. But, honestly, I still can’t believe I did that too.”

The play of the secondary is important every week.

However, it will be important for Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, and the rest of Chicago’s secondary to continue to step up, as Kyler Gordon still has not been able to make his season debut, and Jaylon Johnson was recently put on injured reserve and is going to have surgery.

“We got to step up,” Stevenson said. “Jaylon was a big piece of this defense and right now, we missing that and for me and all the other guys in the room, all we (can) do is pick up the slack and go out there and play our best game to make sure that it ain’t no falloff without Jaylon being out there.”