The Chicago Bears are looking to win and secure the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC heading into the playoffs, but count Nahshon Wright among the players and coaches who readily admit they relish the opportunity to prove they are a different team in the regular-season finale.
The Bears host the Detroit Lions in Week 18. That is 16 weeks and 15 games after their first encounter, which stands as the Bears’ worst loss of the season.
Moreover, it could be Wright’s final regular-season game with the Bears.
Nahshon Wright Speaks Candidly Before Bears Host Lions
Bears’ Nahshon Wright Focused
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said on Thursday that the next step for Wright, just like their other players, is striving for consistency. It should encourage Allen, then, to know that Wright is seeking exactly that in the finale.
“Honestly, just to try to continue to just build off what I’ve already done. I’m not putting any more emphasis on it being the last game. But, obviously, you want to finish wrong individually,” Wright told Clocker Sports on Thursday. “
“As a team, going into the playoffs–in the playoffs, it’s win or go home. So, I guess just to put another good performance together for–just to get ready for the playoffs.”
The Bears signed Wright in free agency this past offseason.
He signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract that now seems like a bargain. Wright did not earn Pro Bowl honors, but his 5 interceptions are tied for second-most in the NFL behind only teammate Kevin Byard (6).
Moreover, Pro Football Reference credits him with allowing 59.8% completion in his coverage. Per Stathead, that is the fifth-best mark of the eight players to face at least 90 targets this season.
The Bears’ cap situation looms large, and they are deep at corner, but Wright is a player.
Bears Looking to Prove Team Growth
The Lions defeated Wright and the Bears 52-21, but Wright and Co. are less focused on getting revenge and more on getting a win, securing the No. 2 seed and a home game in the NFC Wild Card Round.
They have not forgotten the drubbing, either, though.
“We’re eager to just get the 12th win. Obviously, you do remember what happened with one of the teams, who practically–who dominated us early in the year. So, yeah, we’re definitely eager to get the win back and prove that we’re a different team from weeks ago,” Wright told Clocker Sports.
“I think we’re a totally different team from Week 2. I think we have a clear identity, I think we know who we are as a team, and I think it’ll just be about going out there and showing that.”
The Lions would almost certainly love nothing more than to prove that their Week 2 win was the reality. They could also knock Wright and the Bears down a rung. They are already eliminated from the postseason and have nothing else to play for.
Nahshon Wright Reacts to Former Teammate Joining Arch Rival
Wright saw the Bears’ forever nemesis, the Green Bay Packers, claim his former teammate and fellow corner Trevon Diggs off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys.
Wright was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He said he reached out to Diggs to “see where he was mentally.” By all reports, Diggs had a tumultuous exit from Dallas.
He also reacted candidly to the deal, just as he did when the Packers traded for Micah Parsons.
“Obviously, when you’re somewhere for so long, you play well, giving them everything you can, and then they release you is probably–I’m sure it’s, like, mentally there’s probably something that was going on, or at least I thought,” Wright told Clocker Sports
“Usually, guys like that-All–Pro, Pro Bowl guys–usually end up landing on their feet somewhere. So, I think it was just a matter of him finding a home, and he found one in Green Bay.”
Wright said Diggs told him he was “all right” in their exchange, but he is also another challenge.
“Just someone who can get the ball,” Wright told Clocker Sports. “I think he’s proven that through his time in the league that he’s ball-savvy. So, I think he gives them that element in terms of just someone who can play man coverage and just adds to what they already have.”
The Bears and Packers split their two regular-season meetings. As it stands, though, they would square off in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs in Chicago if the postseason began today.