Walker and Stevenson on Bears defense in second half, game-winning pick-six |
CHICAGO — Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson scored the game-winning touchdown for Chicago in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans. It was his first touchdown of the season.
This touchdown would not have been possible without the pressure put on Titans’ quarterback Will Levis from Chicago’s defensive end, DeMarcus Walker. “I’m just trying to focus on one thing … taking him down, and I look up and see the ball in Tyrique’s hands, all I do is just (go) celebrate, making sure (he) can get in there and just celebrate,” Walker said. Stevenson had a strong rookie campaign last season, defending 16 passes, forcing two fumbles, and intercepting four interceptions. While it may have only been the season opener, Stevenson seems on his way toward being a lockdown corner like fellow teammate Jaylon Johnson. Overall, Chicago has a strong secondary with Stevenson, Johnson, cornerback Kyler Gordon, and safeties Jaquan Brisker and veteran Kevin Byard. “This one hell of a team, a team full of dogs,” Stevenson said. “At some point, it’s going to be the offense helping us out. So, it is what it is. We still got the win. I’m happy for the guys, but it’s back to the drawing board Tuesday.” The first half was concerning for Chicago fans. After Tennessee put up 17 unanswered points, it did not appear the Bears would be leaving the game with a victory. However, they managed to score a field goal before halftime to make it a two-possession game. The Titans would not score another point the rest of the game. “I think we had to sit back and realize who we are - stop playing for the hype, stop playing for everything else around us, and just realize that we put in work, and we put in work just for moments like this, situational football, situational things and we just came out there and dominated,” Stevenson said. A blocked punt by linebacker Daniel Hardy and a touchdown return by safety Jonathan Owens brought energy back into Soldier Field and helped propel Chicago to victory. That play also highlights the importance of studying film on your opponent before every game, as Stevenson says the team knew that play was coming all week. “We knew we (were) going to block it all week, just the way we (prepped) for it, just the way we knew it,” Stevenson said. “Based off film and based off the actions this punter and the line and everything had over the last few years. Our coaches go 10 or 15 years from now. They go all the way back to find out what we need and just to show us to give us that edge that we need.” Chicago will certainly need to study the tape to figure out how to stop the Houston Texans in week two on Sun. Sept. 15 (7:20 p.m./NBC). The Texans are full of weapons with receiver Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, as well as running back Joe Mixon and a dynamic quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who proved himself to be an elite quarterback last season after he was Offensive Rookie of the Year and finished No. 8 in the MVP voting. Certainly, going against this team, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will have to perform better than he did in his NFL debut.
