Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet made a troubling admission about his team in the wake of their stunning loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The Bears were leading the Commanders 15-12 before Jayden Daniels completed a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass on the final play of the game. A video then emerged that showed Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson was off to the side taunting Commanders fans on the final play well after the ball had been snapped.
Stevenson apologized to his teammates and coaches in a team meeting on Monday. Kmet later told reporters that he appreciated the gesture. The tight end also said Stevenson was not the only Bears player who lost focus — both during Sunday’s game and in practice leading up to it.
“I think we had examples of that throughout the game and, quite frankly, throughout the week of practice this past week,” Kmet said. “There’s moments where maybe some guys lay off here and there. Those are the type of things that can happen when you do that for just a split second. It doesn’t always come to bite you in the butt, but when it does it hurts. That’s the unfortunate (part) and I would also say the beauty of this game is that if you disrespect it in a certain way it’ll come to haunt you in some form or fashion.”
“I think it’s a really good lesson for everyone to learn from in terms of how to respect the game.”
Cole Kmet on the last-second Hail Mary. pic.twitter.com/JB4KVwx7bx
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) October 28, 2024
That does not reflect well on Chicago’s coaching staff. The Bears have been having a good season and entered Sunday’s game 4-2. The type of behavior that Kmet described is what you would expect to see from a losing team.
In an ideal world, Stevenson’s mistake will serve as a wakeup call for not only him but the entire team. The Bears now have a tough road game upcoming against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, so they will have to move on quickly from the brutal loss to Washington.
