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Rhamondre Stevenson says Bears' defensive alignment helped with 48-yard TD
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- Rhamondre Stevenson says Bears' defensive alignment helped with 48-yard TD
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson made one of the most stunning plays of this NFL season when he turned a short pass at the end of the first half and ran for a 48-yard touchdown against the Bears. Stevenson said the Bears' defensive alignment made it possible.
The Bears were so concerned about giving up a Hail Mary on the last play of the half that they put two defensive backs near the goal line, almost 50 yards downfield. The Bears also rushed six to try to prevent Patriots quarterback Drake Maye from having time to set up for a Hail Mary. But that meant the middle of the field was wide open.
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"It's kind of how they lined up pre-snap that got us into that play," Stevenson said.
The Bears' defense seemed to be caught off-guard, not expecting Maye to dump it off to Stevenson only a yard past the line of scrimmage. And it's not surprising the Bears weren't expecting it, as scoring a touchdown in that situation is almost unheard of: According to Doug Clawson of CBS Sports, there have been 1,006 plays in the last 20 years in the final 10 seconds of a half, starting more than 40 yards from the end zone, in which the ball was thrown less than 10 yards downfield, and Stevenson's catch was the only one of those 1,006 plays that turned into a touchdown.
"I was just trying to make a play, put my team in a position to swing the game a little bit, as much as we can," Stevenson said. "We've been working on that play for a long time and it came in handy today. Executed on that play so it felt good to do that."
Asked what his mindset was when Maye threw him the Ball, Stevenson answered, "Score."
He did that, producing one of the best touchdowns of this NFL season.
