Speaking of cornerbacks, Tyrique Stevenson is growing and handling the challenges going his way.
The Chicago Bears had a lot of hope in Tyrique Stevenson when they drafted him in the second round. They needed someone to play on the opposite side of Johnson. He was anointed the starter from the first day of training camp.
Stevenson is another big, strong, athletic and aggressive cornerback with quickness. He could keep up with any receiver. Additionally, he can bully the receiver at the line of scrimmage and knock him off his route. The concern was whether teams could take advantage of his aggressive nature to make big plays.
That is exactly what the Raiders tried to do. Stevenson was on Adams to start the game. The Raiders targeted him four times, and he caught three of them for 29 yards. The one Adams did not catch was a big one on third down and four. The Raiders needed to convert. Stevenson played it tight and knew the pass was coming his way.
"Coach believes in us on third down to play, man, and I just knew the ball was coming. Just hearing from the media and everything that was going on with (Adams) wanting the ball, I just knew the ball was coming. I had to do my job the best way I can."
Stevenson was able to break up the pass. It was the first of his three pass breakups. Las Vegas had to settle for a field goal attempt but missed it. It was a big play early and gave him a lot of confidence. With Johnson and Stevenson covering Adams, he only caught four of his eight targets for 28 yards for the rest of the game.
Having Johnson and Stevenson gives the Bears a great young duo. Throw in Kyler Gordon in the slot and Chicago could have themselves one of the top cornerback units in the NFL.