"It doesn't look good": Julian Edelman calls Tyrique Stevenson's behavior vs Commanders an amateur move
The ending of last Sunday's back-and-forth battle between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears was one of the most thrilling of the season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was rightly lauded for his incredible Hail Mary pass, but it dwarfed compared to the criticism Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson received for his lack of focus on the final play.
Retired wide receiver Julian Edelman called out the sophomore star and the Bears, claiming that Stevenson's taunting the Commanders fans and leaving Noah Brown open in the endzone indicated a troubling culture in Chicago's locker room.
During an appearance on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast, the former New England Patriots star said:
"If I were to see that when I was playing, I would look at that like, if I saw the highlight of that, and I would just say that that's just a bad football team... Those are the little things that separate like a good football program from like a team that's still trying to figure out what they are and who they are." [From 1:41:14]
Edelman also called out Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and suggested he too was responsible for Stevenson's costly mental error.
"Would you ever see a Dan Campbell team do that? or one of the Harbaugh's? — So regardless whatever, whoever's fault it is, it doesn't look good." [From 1:41:41]
Tyrique Stevenson remorseful about mistake on Hail Mary play
To his credit, Tyrique Stevenson took ownership of his error almost immediately after the game. He posted an apology on X, writing:
"To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus…. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen."
The Bears aren't dwelling on that mistake but it could prove to be extremely damaging in their quest for a playoff berth. Their remaining schedule is the toughest in the league in terms of strength and that loss could haunt come back to haunt them if they miss out on a postseason spot due to one fewer win.