PHILADELPHIA — As a cornerback, Nahshon Wright didn’t spend much time thinking about or preparing for the Philadelphia Eagles’ famed Tush Push play.
Like, as in none.
“I mean, the Tush Push, honestly, I didn’t look at it at all,” Wright said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Chicago Bears cornerback with a spindly 6-foot-4 frame is likely the last person anybody thinks about when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lined up for the Tush Push, as he did late in the third quarter of Friday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field. The controversial play, which was nearly banned in the offseason, is all about brute strength and leverage. It’s about the big boys up front. It’s about some of the biggest, strongest men in pro sports pushing each other in a battle of wills.
The cornerbacks? They’re almost an afterthought.
“You let the big guys handle the trenches,” Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon said.
But as Hurts took the snap and ran headfirst into the mass of humanity before him, Wright saw an opportunity. The Eagles left Wright unblocked and he spotted one thing — the football.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“That was just instincts,” Wright said. “I just saw him holding the ball out with two hands.”
Wright ripped the football from Hurts’ hands and then worked his way to the bottom of the scrum to secure the ball for his third fumble recovery of the season and his eighth takeaway overall.
It proved to be a turning point in the Bears’ 24-15 win over the Eagles on Friday. Hurts fumbled the football at the 11-yard line. The Bears, at the time, led by a slim 10-9 margin and the Eagles appeared poised to take the lead, with all the momentum shifting in their favor.
It wasn’t about any special preparation Wright did ahead of the game. It was all his football instincts.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He went and got it,” Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
Of course, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen spent time going over the Tush Push in his meetings with the defense. But it wasn’t like Wright was going home and studying the play. For the cornerbacks, the responsibility is more about guarding their man and being ready in case the Eagles run a different play out of that formation.
Wright saw the quarterback keep the ball and he moved in to make a play.
“We preach 11 hats to the ball, so if I’m able to get in there, I’m going to get in there,” Wright said. “It was just the opportunity presented itself for me to get in there and I was able to get the ball out.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTeam captain Kevin Byard III was the safety at the back of the play. He had too many bodies in his way to know what was going on.
“I had a feeling we stopped them short and I was looking at the sideline and seeing (Allen) and everybody celebrating saying we got the ball,” Byard said. “It was a huge play, man. (Wright has) been making huge plays all year.”
The Bears defense created two takeaways against an Eagles team that turned the ball over just six times all season prior to Friday. Byard grabbed an interception with a diving effort earlier in the third quarter. He leads the NFL with six interceptions, with Wright trailing him with five. As a team, the Bears lead the NFL with 26 takeaways.
Byard called Wright’s fumble on the Tush Push a “crazy play.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“That’s the reason why we’re the best in the league at taking the ball away,” Byard said.
What happened after the Tush Push was a textbook example of a coach trusting what’s working. Ben Johnson went with the hot hands — his running backs.
On an afternoon when strong winds made things tricky in the passing game, quarterback Caleb Williams completed only 47.2% of his pass attempts. Meanwhile, the Bears offensive line consistently opened up gaping holes in the defense.
Immediately following Wright’s takeaway, Johnson called a run for rookie back Kyle Monangai, who saw a hole and found open space. With the Bears in their own end of the field, Monangai’s 31-yard run provided a spark.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We always talk about getting that first first down and not necessarily thinking it’s going to be an explosive run like that,” Johnson said of Monangai’s 31-yarder. “But that was a huge one in that moment because we were still on our side of the field, backed up.”
Including that play, Johnson called five consecutive runs for Monangai, who finished with a game-high 130 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Bears converted on a fourth-and-5 later during the possession, with Williams connecting with tight end Colston Loveland for a 7-yard gain. It was Monangai again who punched the ball into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown, his fifth touchdown of the season.
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Johnson wound up calling nine run plays on the 12-play touchdown drive.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJust minutes prior, it looked as if the Eagles might storm back and take the lead. Monangai’s touchdown put the Bears ahead by eight points. The Eagles quickly punted on their next possession and a short while later, Williams threw what felt like a knockout blow with a touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet that put the Bears ahead 24-9 with about six minutes to go.
This victory may have been the Bears’ biggest statement yet. They beat the defending Super Bowl champions in their house. Both teams entered with 8-3 records. The game was a worldwide broadcast in a unique time slot. If the season ended today, the Bears would be the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
As has been the case several times this season, it was the unheralded cornerback who began the year as a backup making a game-changing play at a crucial moment.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Wright said. “We talk about it every day and we control our destiny. We’re not necessarily worried about what the rest of the league thinks.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter Friday’s win, the rest of the league — not to mention much of Chicago — is certainly thinking about the Bears.
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