Tyrique Stevenson won’t get the chance to taunt any fans to start the Bears’ game Sunday.
The second-year cornerback, who has started 21 of 22 possible games since Chicago selected him in the second round of last year’s NFL draft, was disciplined by the team after he taunted Commanders fans moments before the receiver he needed to box out caught Jayden Daniels’ game-winning Hail Mary heave in Week 8.
And as a result, he won’t begin the Bears’ Week 9 game against the Cardinals on the field, instead rotating with cornerback Terell Smith in what NFL.com reported as a “one-week demotion.”
Oct. 27, 2024. Sky Kruse/X
The outlet added that Stevenson underwent a “multi-step process” this week to take accountability for what went wrong and demonstrate that he learned from the costly gaffe, with his shift to the bench reportedly the final layer before he returns to the starting lineup.
After the Bears took a three-point lead in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Commanders were left with just 19 seconds to drive into field-goal range, but that outlook quickly worsened when they’d only reached their own 48-yard line with six seconds remaining.
So Daniels scrambled around the pocket on the last play, buying time for his receivers to sprint down the field and avoiding the minimal pass rush that Chicago unveiled, and eventually, the rookie quarterback launched a throw toward the end zone.
loss to the Commanders on Oct. 27, 2024. Screengrab
The ball bounced off Stevenson and into the hands of wideout Noah Brown, who floated behind the cluster of players perched by the edge of the end zone.
And only after the game did Stevenson’s costly mistake — and the botched responsibility of boxing out Brown — materialize.
His back was turned to the action as Daniels took the snap, with Stevenson instead waving his hand toward Washington fans — though he later claimed he was cheering with Bears fans — inside Northwest Stadium before only realizing that the play had begun.
So he jogged over toward the end zone and managed to tip the pass from Daniels, but Stevenson, who has 22 passes defended and five interceptions the past two seasons, then watched as Brown collected possession and pandemonium followed.
“To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus,” Stevenson wrote in an X post on Oct. 27. “…. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.”
The Bears’ three-game winning streak ended with the 18-15 loss, while the Commanders moved to 6-2 entering their game against the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.