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Tyrique Stevenson perfectly describes pick six that launched Bears to victory

2 weeks agoScott Bair

CHICAGO – Will Levis rolled to his left evading pressure, only to find DeMarcus Walker waiting for an easy sack.

The Titans quarterback tried to get rid of the ball before getting taken down, pitching the ball out towards the sideline.

Tyrique Stevenson’s eyes widened as the ball fluttered his way, in some disbelief that it was even thrown.

“I was definitely surprised,” the veteran cornerback said after the game. “I’m still surprised now.”

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Stevenson jumped in front of a Titans receiver with one thing in mind.

“When he flipped it – it happened so slow,” Stevenson said. “I saw it fly up and I thought, ‘let me go to the crib with it.’ When I caught it, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’”

Stevenson was right to be optimistic about a pick six. There was no one between him and the goal line, allowing him to make the 43-yard trip with relative ease.

Stevenson’s touchdown was the difference in a 24-17 victory over Tennessee on Sunday at Soldier Field, a massive for the individual and a team that desperately needed a pick-me-up.

It was big for Stevenson, who recorded his first pick six at any level. He had scored offensive touchdowns and had returned kicks and punts for a score. What happened on Sunday was a new, fun-as-heck experience.

That’s why he kept the ball, as a memento for a game where he had four tackles, two passes defensed and that big moment in the fourth quarter.

Making a massive play wasn’t on Stevenson’s mind in the moment. The Bears’ goal was to get a stop and let the offense do the rest.

“I honestly didn’t expect it,” Stevenson said. “We wanted to get them off the field and the ball back to Caleb so he could do his thing. If (Levis is) going to make dumb decisions like that, we’re going to make him pay for it.”

The Bears defense made Levis pay time and again. That unit forced three turnovers and scored a touchdown, all in the fourth quarter.

Darrell Taylor had a strip sack, recovered by T.J. Edwards, that led to a field goal. Stevenson got a pick six shortly after and the Jaylon Johnson sealed victory with another interception with roughly a minute remaining.

Think about this: The Bears defense played seven series in the second half. They ended with this sequence: blocked punt, punt, punt, fumble, interception, punt, interception.

That’s how you close out a game with a shutout second half.

“Even the 17 points we gave up (in the first half) made us mad,” Stevenson said. “We don’t roll like that. In the second half, we locked in and focused on what we needed to do, and that’s to be dominant, to play the Chicago Bears style of defense. That’s what we did.”

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL. Also, Bair Mail is coming! Join the conversation by submitting a mailbag question or comment to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com for a chance to be included in this new content series.

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