LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Cowboys running back Javonte Williams reached the edge untouched, with room to create an explosive run. Tyrique Stevenson originally got blocked out of the play, but the Bears cornerback chased Williams down and noticed something as he got closer.

“He didn’t want the ball when he was running with it,” Stevenson said. “They preach ball security, and I kinda saw that as he was looking for the block, I just was like, ‘He don’t want it, so I’m just gonna take it.’”

Stevenson reached for the ball and simply took it away. Like, straight-up snatched it. The third-year pro gained possession, got two feet in bounds to take the turnover away.

It was a momentum changer after the Bears went three-and-out on the opening drive.

“We needed that,” Stevenson said in a Monday press conference. “We came out, we had a three-and-out, definitely not what we want. For me to be able to spark the momentum, I felt that the whole team felt it. I’m glad I was able to make that play for us.”

The Bears scored on the next possession. Stevenson’s turnover was the first of four on a strong day for defense, which ended with a 31-14 Bears victory at Soldier Field.

Stevenson had an excellent game overall, with three tackles, two passes defensed and the forced fumble. He was targeted 10 times and allowed just three receptions for 36 yards and a 42.1 passer rating against him.

That was a massive lift over the previous week, when Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a perfect 158.3 passer rating against Stevenson, with four catches on as many targets for 99 yards and a touchdown.  

Stevenson stood before the media during the practice week and took accountability for his mistakes, saying that he didn’t perform up to his own standards or that of the Bears defense.

He vowed to be better, especially with fellow starting outside cornerback Jaylon Johnson out for an extended stretch. The Bears will need Stevenson’s best moving forward.

“You’ve got to step up,” Stevenson said. “You know, Jaylon was a big part of this defense and right now we’re missing that and for me and all the other guys in the room all we can do is pick up the slack and go out there and play our best game to make sure there ain’t no falloff without Jaylon being out there.”

His talent level is capable of being a top cornerback. He has had issues with consistency and keeping his emotions under control, as we saw a few times in 2024, including the Hail Mary loss to Washington.

Stevenson has clearly matured, but his performance can’t vary wildly from week to week.

“He has always been a super-talented player,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “There’s a reason why he was drafted high. I think a number of teams really liked him coming out of college. It’s really just been a consistency issue with him, you know? There are times when he looks like a Pro Bowl type player, and there’s other times where he’ll let his guard down just a little bit, and we can’t have those snafus.

“I thought (Sunday) he took a step in the right direction. He strung together more good plays than what he had so far this season. I think it’s a great opportunity for him to build on, going from Week 3 to Week 4.”

That isn’t news to Stevenson. He can’t have more performances like Week 2 and believes it was a learning experience that will help moving forward.

“Last week just showed I need to hone in on the small details and stay consistent at everything that I do as far as coming in, making sure I understand the plays, making sure I’m working on myself, making sure I’m taking care of my body, making sure I’m taking the right meds, and just making sure everything that I do on a consistent basis to lead up to the game is true,” Stevenson said. “I have to stay true to that process.”