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Chicago Bears fans are still reeling after losing Sunday's road game versus the Washington Commanders on a Hail Mary. The latest revelation offered by head coach Matt Eberflus, one of the main sources of the city's ire on this Monday, will make it even harder for people to move on from the Week 8 debacle.
Second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is understandably being criticized for trash-talking fans in Northwest Stadium about 15 seconds before Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels launched a pass that deflected into the end zone into the hands of unimpeded Noah Brown. Eberflus seemingly just revealed the player who was tasked with boxing out the wide receiver.
“Tyrique's gotta do a good job of putting his body on 85 (Noah Brown),” he said, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. An agita-inducing display just became more exasperating.
Stevenson posted an apology on X after the 18-15 loss, and Eberflus confirmed that the 24-year-old took accountability and apologized to the locker room for his taunting. Fans might need some time before they come around, however. He displayed an astounding lack of judgement with the game clearly still hanging in the balance. No matter how unlikely a Hail Mary is, a player must be alert through the final snap.
Stevenson should hopefully understand that now, though. The distress he feels for letting his teammates down should push him to be extra focused and dedicated moving forward. But the former second-round pick is not the only one who should use Sunday's loss as a learning experience.
The coaching staff made questionable calls in Bears' loss
Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron broke out a failed trick-play on the goal-line in the fourth quarter and Matt Eberflus did not have his defense protect the sidelines on the play that made the Hail Mary possible (resulted in a 13-yard reception). Caleb Williams also struggled for the first three quarters of action and finished with a 41.7 completion percentage and 131 passing yards.
There is plenty of accountability to go around, but Stevenson's slip-up is obviously its own beast. His attention was elsewhere at the most critical juncture of the game, and shortly after, he was unable to properly perform his role. Whether or not there is a correlation between the trash-talking and inability to shut down Noah Brown, Tyrique Stevenson has some trust to earn back.
He will try to do just that when the Bears (4-3) travel to State Farm Stadium to face the Arizona Cardinals (4-4) on Sunday.
