Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson made one of the most stunning plays of this NFL season when he returned a short pass late in the first half and ran for a 48-yard touchdown against the Bears. Stevenson said the Bears’ defensive alignment made that possible.
The Bears were so anxious to give up a Hail Mary on the last play of the half that they placed two defensive backs near the goal line, almost 50 yards down the field. The Bears also rushed six to prevent Patriots quarterback Drake Maye from having time to prepare for a Hail Mary. But that meant the middle of the field was open.
“It’s kind of the way they lined up pre-snap that got us into that game,” Stevenson said.
The Bears defense appeared to be caught off guard, not expecting Maye to throw to Stevenson just a yard behind the line of scrimmage. And it’s no surprise the Bears didn’t expect it, since scoring a touchdown in that situation is almost unheard of: According to CBS Sports’ Doug Clawson, there have been 1,006 plays in the last 20 years in the final 10 seconds of a half that started more than 40 yards from the end zone and less than 1 yard into the end zone. Stevenson’s catch was the only one of those 1,006 plays that was turned into a touchdown.
“I was just trying to make a play, put my team in a position to move 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. It was executed on that play, so it felt good to do that.”
Asked what his mindset was when Maye threw the ball to him, Stevenson replied: “Score.”
He did just that, producing one of the best touchdowns of this NFL season.
