Bears rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds provided a perfect before-and-after illustration of facing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes this week.
Stevenson can’t wait for the challenge. His enthusiasm for the opportunity to face Mahomes was so unbridled that he didn’t even wait for the question to end before responding.
“I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it,” Stevenson said. “It gives me an opportunity to prove to myself that I can play with the best of the best and give myself the opportunity to prove to the world that I’m one of the greatest out here.”
But Edmunds, on the other hand, showed the scars of a veteran of five wars against Mahomes in five seasons with the Bills when the subject was brought up. He’s actually won two of his five games against Mahomes, but only his pain was evident when asked for a memorable moment — good or bad — from his Mahomes battles.
“Man, you’re bringing up bad memories,” Edmunds said with a chuckle. “Obviously, the one that everybody knows — what was it, two years ago? And obviously it was — you just look it up and you tell me.”
Edmunds was referring to the classic divisional playoff battle against the Chiefs following the 2021 regular season when Mahomes tore out the Bills’ heart in a 42-36 overtime victory.
That would be a peak moment for most quarterbacks, but for Mahomes, it was pretty much what he does. His elusiveness, escapability, mobility and improvisational skills with inventive throws from any angle make him a big-play threat no matter how dire the circumstance.
“He’s playing the game like it’s backyard football,” said Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones, who was 1-5 against Mahomes in four seasons with the Chargers. “You’ve got a little inside game going. The d-tackle comes around and gets him by the waist. The other guys comes in and gets him by the leg. He’s going down to the ground and he flicks it up and Tyreek Hill is standing there wide open. That’s the type of quarterback he is. He knows where the guys are all the time.”
Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings is 0-4 against Mahomes with the Raiders and Bengals, but has sacked him once.
“He’s a sneaky man,” Billings said. “A couple of times he left me holding a piece of his shirt and he got away. He’s faster than you think. You know he’s elusive. But he’s more elusive when you get back there. So it’s a matter of wrapping him up and getting him down.”
For what it’s worth, the Chiefs offense are off to their worst start in is off to its worst start of the Mahomes era, scoring 20 points in a loss to the Lions and 17 in a victory over the Jaguars. Mahomes is normally a hot starter — 35 touchdowns, one interception and a 130.8 passer rating in Weeks 1-2. But he has an 88.1 passer rating this season, with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bears aren’t falling for that. They know it’ll take an extra effort to beat Mahomes.
“The games we won [with the Chargers], it wasn’t the game plan that won it,” Jones said. “It was about effort and playing hard. Because when you’re playing backyard football, it’s not scripted. So you have to play with a non-scripted mindset. You might do things that weren’t written down on paper to get him down and make the play, because that’s what they’re doing.”
But you have to go into it thinking like Tyrique Stevenson. He might learn some hard lessons, but he’s going in with the right attitude.
“Can’t be scared of the name,” Stevenson said. “It’s just a name on a jersey. He’s Patrick Mahomes, but at the end of the day, he goes home with his kids. I go home with my family. [I] can’t let the name put fear in my heart.”
