Tyrique Stevenson wanted the ball, so he took it.
Just two plays into Dallas' first possession, the Cowboys faced second-and-3 from midfield when running back Javonte Williams broke free on what initially appeared as a explosive run down the left sideline.
Stevenson, who was initially blocked by Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert, fought off the block and chased after Williams. Right as Williams passed the Chicago 30, Stevenson wedged himself in between the running back and the Bears sideline before utilizing the "Peanut Punch" in hopes of jarring the ball loose.
But instead of Stevenson just punching at the ball with his left hand, he swiped his right arm underneath. In a split second, the third-year cornerback recognized that he wanted the ball more than Williams. So, he ripped it from the running back's hands.
"I just realized he didn't want it, like, he didn't want the ball when he was running with it," Stevenson said Monday. "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' pretty much."
As Stevenson secured the football, he subconsciously dragged both of his feet through green grass just before he went tumbling out of bounds.
"I didn't even know I toe-tapped," Stevenson added. "I just was going after the ball. Once I swiped down and took it, everything else after that was just me being a football player."
The whole thing happened so fast that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Kevin Byard III, who were in the mix at the end of the play, didn't even see the ball change hands.
"It was huge," Byard said. "I honestly didn't even know what happened. They actually had a pretty good play on us, and I had an offensive lineman trying to block me, so I was just trying to buy some time for the guys. 'Riq made a hell of a play. I turned around and Riq had the ball.
"It was a big play to start the game, so I think that kind of set the tone of how the game went."
Coach Ben Johnson echoed Byard's sentiment in his Monday press conference, adding that type of takeaway early in the game, following the offense's three-and-out opening drive "breathes a lot of life into us, into that game, and gives us some confidence."
Stevenson wasn't necessarily thinking takeaway in that moment. He just wanted to make a play on the ball. Literally taking the ball from someone's hands is something Stevenson has never done in his football career, but he agreed that it sent a wave of momentum through the entire team.
Since Johnson was hired by the Bears in January, Stevenson has appreciated the relationship he and his coach have built. Johnson reiterated his confidence in the cornerback Monday, stating "there are times when he looks like a Pro Bowl-type player."
Johnson also made it clear that in order for Stevenson to reach his potential, however, he needs to be more consistent. Johnson's honest, yet encouraging assessment of the Miami product is exactly why Stevenson trusts his head coach.
"Every conversation I have with him, he's just letting me know that he trusts me," Stevenson told ChicagoBears.com, "and he knows what type of player I am, and the only thing that I have to do is go out there and show it. And with that, that's being better at everything that I do so I can fulfill the things that he sees in me.
"So just having conversations with him every other day about what I should be doing, how I could be a better pro."
Serving as a sparkplug for his team is one of Stevenson's ultimate goals each week — no matter how it happens. Heading into last week, though, his desire to be that player his teammates could rely on grew.
The cornerback wasn't pleased with his performances through two weeks of his third NFL season, so leading up to the Cowboys game, Stevenson upped his level of preparation. He arrived at Halas Hall early, stayed late after practice and meetings and watched old Saints film to better understand the coverages and schemes defensive coordinator Dennis Allen – who previously served as the head coach in New Orleans – was installing.
That work culminated in Stevenson recording three tackles and breaking up a pair of passes, one of which forced the Cowboys to settle for a field goal after the cornerback knocked Dak Prescott's throw to receiver George Pickens away on third-and-8.
"It felt good," Stevenson said of his Week 3 performance, "because 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 and just making sure everything that I do on a consistent basis to lead up to the game is true – and I stay true to that process."
Stevenson has also been putting in extra work with defensive backs coach and former All-Pro cornerback Al Harris to make necessary improvements between the season opener and Sunday's victory. When the cornerbacks review pass concepts, Harris makes sure to point out how an offense may try to attack them and what type of routes are more likely to be run depending on the coverage the secondary is in.
The pair have also spent plenty of one-on-one time together. Stevenson will occasionally head up to Harris' office to ask questions, but more often than not, the coach will leave him with more questions that he can answer himself.
"He's just made it easier from Week 1 to Week 3, coming in and asking him certain questions and him having the answers and him making sure that he is prepared to give you the answer," Stevenson told ChicagoBears.com. "It makes it easier to play a little bit more free and be out there and be ball conscious, because with the information, you can know what's coming and really attack the ball."
With All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson now on injured reserve and nickel back Kyler Gordon having been sidelined through the first three weeks, Stevenson — who played 100% of the defensive snaps Sunday — will continue to be called upon to lead the Bears' cornerbacks.
Stevenson is up for that challenge.
He feels each player on the Bears defense is stepping up as leaders in their own way — especially when it comes to practice habits and establishing a defensive identity. The group is focused on the work and staying the course through the long season.
Stevenson is embodying that mindset, and with the trust of his coaches and teammates, he's keeping his week-to-week mentality simple.
"Just be you," Stevenson told ChicagoBears.com. "Be you and exert yourself because at the end of the day, if you exert yourself, you'll be happy with the results. And every game, that's my mindset. These guys need me. I owe these guys. We've worked for it. I prepared for it. Best thing I could do is go ahead, exert myself, lay it all on the line for these guys, and I'll like the result at the end."
