Tyrique Stevenson wins NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award for stellar opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Bears second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was awarded the league’s NFC Defensive Player of the Week award after a strong opener in the team’s win over the Titans last Sunday, 24-17.
Stevenson gave the team the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Caleb Williams connected with D’Andre Swift for the two-point conversion to give the Bears a seven-point lead, and eventually the victory.
Stevenson won the award during Week 17 of last season, also. He’s the first Bears player to win the award twice in the first two years of his career since Eddie Jackson.
“For me, I already knew there was no drop-off,” Stevenson said Wednesday of going from last season to this season. “I knew I wanted to come back in and show what I showed last season but times 10 because I put in the work and everything like that.
“It’s really I would say just for the outside people to put up stats and everything, this and that, that comes with it, just to show them that there ain’t no dropoff. And the guys on this team and the guys in the locker room know that there ain’t no dropoff.”
Stevenson finished with an impressive game, also creating four tackles and defending two passes. However, in the first half, Stevenson gave up a touchdown to Chig Okonkwo to allow the Titans a 17-point lead.
In his defense, the pass from Levis was a dime and Okonkwo made an incredible catch from Stevenson’s tight coverage. But still, he knew he had to bounce back without staying emotionally attached to the play.
“Next play, for real,” Stevenson said of his mentality following the touchdown. “I’ll be honest, I was upset. I was upset because it was a play I’d made 10 out of 10 with my eyes closed. So it was the next-play mentality. And the guys didn’t let me come over to the sideline and put my head down either. It was more of a defensive thing.
“You’ve got guys telling me, ‘Pick your head up.’ So I had a short memory, but I was still upset because I knew I could make that play and then I had guys and leaders of this team be able to pick me up and make sure that I finished the game out strong.”
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