Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson: Commanders Hail Mary "definitely hurt," but I use it as fuel
The Bears will be in Washington for Monday Night Football in Week 6 and that's meant this week has featured a lot of mentions of their last trip to face the Commanders.
In Week 8 of the 2024 season, the Bears held a three-point lead on the final snap of the game. Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was interacting with fans when that snap occurred, which meant he was late reacting to Washington's Hail Mary try and wound up tipping the ball to Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown for a memorable game-winning catch.
Stevenson was supposed to be covering Brown, which made him a focal point of criticism coming out of the game and the Bears going on to lose their next nine games as well meant that it was all but impossible to escape reminders of the play. On Wednesday, Stevenson said "the only thing I can do from then on is show my actions have changed so I can become a better man and a better football player on the field."
“It was harsh, it hurt my feelings,” Stevenson said, via Gene Chamberlain of the Associated Press. “That’s the best way I can explain it — it just hurt my feelings being a football player and having one of those mistakes that’s going to linger around. Even when my son grows up, I’ve got to explain that to him. It definitely hurt. But just use it as fuel.”
While Stevenson was wrong on that play, he has been doing something right in the last couple of games. He forced and recovered a fumble early in Chicago's Week 3 win over the Cowboys and then had an interception and another fumble recovery in a win over the Raiders the next week. More of the same on Monday would be a good way to continue pushing memories of 2024 deeper into the recesses of minds around the league.
Giants have lost eight straight division games, longest current NFL streak
When the Giants host the Eagles on Thursday night, one specific streak will be on the line. And the Giants will be hoping to end it.
New York has lost eight straight NFC East games. It's currently the longest losing streak in division games for any NFL team.
It's also the Giants' longest losing streak in the division since 1975-76, when it was a five-team group that included the Cardinals. The Giants finished 5-9 in 1975 and 3-11 in 1976.
The 4-1 Eagles are 7.5-point favorites against the 1-4 Giants. The Eagles lead the all-time regular-season series between the two franchises, 93-87-2.
On Sunday, the Eagles lost at home to the Broncos, and the Giants lost to the Saints in New Orleans. If the Giants can find a way to reverse the recent trend against their NFC East rivals, things could get interesting in the division.
How Broncos and 'play-dough' quarterback can end Chiefs' reign
Former Buffalo Bills assistant coach Phoebe Schecter is an NFL pundit and plays for Great Britain's flag football team [BBC]
NFL 2025 season: Week six
BBC coverage: Live text commentary of Sunday's games on the BBC Sport website and app, beginning with Denver Broncos v New York Jets at Tottenham (from 14:00 BST). Also live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds of Cincinnati Bengals v Green Bay Packers (from 21:00 BST).
It's week six in the NFL season and, after talking last week about the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles being a potential Super Bowl match-up, they both lost their unbeaten records.
Notable in those games was the amount of penalties both conceded. The Eagles did so in key moments so they kind of beat themselves having led 17-3 going into the final quarter against the Denver Broncos, who play in London this Sunday.
But it was good to see that Denver quarterback Bo Nix was able to have that deficit and then lead three scoring drives on three possessions in the fourth quarter, to win the game 21-17.
Denver have the defensive player of the year in cornerback Pat Surtain II. They are number one in red zone defence, while the Eagles are number one in red zone offence, and the Broncos won that battle.
They had the Eagles' number in terms of simulated pressure. They weren't necessarily sending more than four [pass rushers] but they might plug two linebackers in the 'A' gap then drop them out and send a nickel off the edge.
At the start of the season, we said on The Whole 10 Yards that Denver could be this season's dark horses. They ended last season well and did a good job of building upon that.
New tight end Evan Engram has stepped up big and new running back JK Dobbins is a guy they believe in. He's currently fifth in the NFL for rushing yards (402) and tied-fourth for rushing touchdowns (four).
That shows how the Broncos are a team that wants to run first, because you can do a lot off the back of that. It slows down the pass rush and keeps you in favourable down and distances.
It's also helped quarterback Bo Nix, who came into the league as the 12th overall draft pick last year, throwing 29 touchdown passes – second only to Justin Herbert for the rookie record (31 in 2020).
Josh Allen and Herbert have the arm strength to throw anywhere, but they don't move in the same way as Nix. He has incredible arm talent, which is different, and he is so athletic.
His strengths are his mobility, being able to throw on the run, and finding different arm angles to make the pass when he rolls out of the pocket, the bootlegs. He can throw that layered pass across the middle or over the corner.
For a young quarterback, at 25, he's got a lot of poise in the pocket and isn't really fazed by the blitz. He tries to avoid a sack as much as possible and is able to throw under pressure. He has a high football IQ and is very decisive.
When you constantly run the ball it eats up the clock and forces the defence to be on the field for longer, and when you've got an athletic quarterback the defence has to cover the field vertically and horizontally. It can be exhausting.
Nix has bitten back at Payton on the sideline sometimes and I think the coach likes that attitude, that he's such a competitor. I think it's fun for him to have a young quarterback who's kind of like play-dough. He can really build something up the way he wants to build it. I think it's a special experience for him.
Payton has won a Super Bowl and now passed Bill Parcells for career NFL wins (173 - tied 14th overall). He's seen it all. I think the success Denver are having on offence is mostly down to his leadership, his play-calling, his situational awareness – and the combination with Nix helps make him what he is.
You wouldn't want a better guy in your ear, to help you through some of the tougher situations and build confidence.
I believe in Denver's defence, in Bo Nix's tenacity and composure. But are they good enough to go against an elite team at its best? Because that was not a Super Bowl performance by the Eagles last Sunday.
Right now, I don't think the Broncos are incredible. They're working above average, which is a good place to be in their division. All they need to do is maintain this trajectory.
They're really good at leaning into their strength, which is running the ball, and that's exactly what they should do against the New York Jets at Tottenham. It's going to be the JK Dobbins show, essentially.
The Jets have allowed 140 rushing yards per game (sixth worst in the league), five rushing touchdowns this season (10th worst), and they're the only team yet to win a game.
Since the NFL began tracking turnovers in 1933, the Jets are also the first team to be without a single takeaway through five games, which is kind of shocking when you think that their new coach Aaron Glenn was defensive co-ordinator at the Detroit Lions.
After this Sunday's game, the Broncos have a smooth-ish schedule up to their bye (in week 12) - the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders before the Kansas City Chiefs.
Looking at the AFC West, the Chiefs are 2-3 and the Broncos are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers on 3-2 so they could make a run at leading the division.
It depends what version of the Chiefs they face because the Broncos beat their back-ups in the final game of the 2024 regular season, so what can they do against a fully healthy Kansas City?
I'm keen to see if the Broncos can sustain this form because I feel like that's going to be the next big game that will show if they really can be contenders.
Phoebe Schecter was speaking to BBC Sport's Ben Collins
