Windy City Gridiron
For a hot second, it looked like déjà vu. One drive into Sunday’s game, the Cowboys were in the middle of gashing the Bears for a chunk gain on a big Javonte Williams run, and you could almost hear fans muttering: “Here we go again.” After the Lions absolutely pantsed this defense a week ago, Dallas marching down the field on its opening drive was a terrible sign.
Then Tyrique Stevenson showed up—in a good way, this time.
The third-year Bears corner sprinted in from behind and straight-up stole the ball from Williams along the sideline for one of the most badass forced fumbles you’ll see. He didn’t poke it loose. He didn’t jar it out. He just snatched that man’s chain. Ran his pockets like he was Deebo in Friday.
Suddenly, instead of Dak Prescott and company setting up shop in scoring territory, the Bears’ offense had a chance to jump ahead. Caleb Williams wasted no time turning the gift into six points with a flea-flicker touchdown to Luther Burden III. Just like that, a potential 14-point swing. And the Cowboys never recovered.
In a way, Stevenson needed that play as badly as the Bears did. As if fans won’t already hold that Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders against him for the end of all time, he got straight-up clowned against the Lions in Week 2, giving up 97 receiving yards and a perfect passer rating when Jared Goff targeted him. He came into Week 3 allowing quarterbacks to complete nearly 88% of their throws in his direction, per PFF. So the expectations for him going against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens wasn’t exactly high heading into Sunday.
But plays like that one reminded everyone why Chicago drafted him in the second round in 2023. It might not have been an interception, but it was a takeaway—one based on pure hustle in a key spot in the game. Without a doubt, it stole momentum back to the Bears sideline and set their aggressive tone for the rest of the game.
The Bears’ offense might have the new toys, the shiny QB, and the highlight-reel play calls. But somehow, the heart of this team is still the defense. When they step up, like they did on Sunday, the Bears can shut down one of the best QBs and most dynamic offenses in the league.
So while Caleb-to-Burden was the play you’ll see on SportsCenter, the pivot point in this one came from a guy who’s fighting for his future on this team. Hopefully, we get more of that same effort for the remainder of the season.
