Malik Muhammad might want to take advantage of a sick day when the Bears have their video review of Thursday’s win against the Patriots.
The rookie cornerback apparently ran away from Rhamondre Stevenson during the touchdown pass debacle on the final play of the first half in the Bears’ 30-24 victory Thursday night.
The 48-yard touchdown changed the face of the game, pushing the Patriots to 20-14 at halftime instead of facing a 13-point deficit.
“He’s a rookie, but number 24 needs to find a way to delete this from all hard drives and wipe the internet before filming tomorrow,” tweeted former NFL player and podcaster Emmanuel Acho.
There’s a lot of blame to be had when a simple pass turns into a touchdown, but Muhammad’s actions on the play stood out.
Stevenson caught Drake Maye’s pass around the 46-yard line and ran free for about 20 yards before finally closing in on some defenders.
He cut to his right to avoid three bears, two of which even collided, and Muahammad stood diagonally opposite him as he pivoted.
Texas’ fourth-round pick instead made the bizarre decision to turn 90 degrees to engage receiver Kyle Williams, and he began running away from Stevenson.
As Muhammad ran away from where he should have been to stop Stevenson, it allowed the running back to find an opening and rush into the end zone virtually untouched.
Muhammad actually did a 360 during the play without impacting Stevenson’s route.
Many people on the internet are questioning the rookie’s approach to the game.
“What could Malik Muhammad II (#24) think about this piece? » » one person tweeted.
Another wrote: “What was Chicago Bears DB Malik Muhammad doing in this room last night? Tell me.”
“Bears #24 said no he’s not crushing me 🤣😂,” posted a third.
The game took a turn for the worse for Muhammad when he went out with a toe injury that made his return doubtful, and a reporter said the cornerback was in a boot after the game.
The Bears had another major injury issue late in the game with veteran tight end Cole Kmet suffering a right knee injury that led coach Ben Johnson to say, “I didn’t think it looked very good.”
Gn sports
