LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When Nahshon Wright went around the surge of Bears and Eagles trying to reset the line of scrimmage during the Tush Push at Lincoln Financial Stadium, he did so instinctively. 

The veteran cornerback’s move gave him a clear view of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Then Wright ripped the ball out of Hurt’s hands and recovered the football to make a critical takeaway in the Bears’ 24-15 road win on Black Friday.

“Honestly, it was like 100 percent spontaneous – no, maybe like 99.9, but it was just kind of like my instincts kicked in to just try to get the stop,” Wright said. “And in doing so, I was able to get my hand under the ball and then rip it out.”

In the days leading up to the Week 13 matchup, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said the team had a plan for the Eagles’ Tush Push, but Allen explained on Thursday at Halas Hall that Wright just made “a hell of a play.”

Bears head coach Ben Johnson rewarded Wright with one of two game balls for his performance against the Eagles. Johnson even admitted after the game that Wright should have earned a game ball the last three weeks.

And for good reason. All Wright has done this season for the Bears’ defense is make impact plays. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound defensive back has five interceptions, second-most in the NFL, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pick-6, which occurred in Week 1. 

Wright was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. In five games played last month, Wright registered 19 tackles, six passes defensed, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. 

“Yeah, he’s been huge for us,” Allen said. “Again, he’s a guy that really kind of had to step up in the absence of a couple other guys, and he stepped up in a big way for us. He continues to find his way around the football, continues to make plays, and really that’s what this game is about. And so really pleased with what we’ve seen out of him.”

When Wright signed a one-year contract with the Bears in April, he admitted his original goal was just to make the 53-man roster. Then injuries in the secondary springboarded the five-year veteran to start in Allen’s defense. 

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Wright’s 719 total defensive snaps through the first 13 weeks are more than he has in the rest of his career combined. Before this Bears season, Wright played just 15 special teams snaps all season in 2024 for the Minnesota Vikings.

Now, he has earned the NFC Player of the Month honor. 

“It’s crazy,” Wright said. “I haven’t too much thought about it just because this league is so week to week and you can’t too much get caught in the moment. But now that you asked the question, it definitely is cool, super cool to come from where I came from and be where I’m at now.”

Right now, Wright is a part of a 9-3 football team that is at the top of the NFC North and controls its own destiny as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It’s a drastic change for the Bears from recent years, but the same can be said about Wright and where he is currently in his football journey. 

If Wright creates a takeaway this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, he would become the sixth player since 2000 with a takeaway in at least six consecutive games. This season has gone Wright’s way up to this point, and if he continues to maximize his opportunities, then the once hopeful 53-man roster candidate can continue etching his name in the record books.

“I remember we played the 49ers in 2023, and I was on IR and Al [Harris] literally came up to me and was like, ‘When you get your opportunity, take advantage of it,’” Wright said. “The other day we kind of talked about it. And it’s just crazy to think that we had that talk 2-3 years ago and now it’s kind of happening. I got my opportunity, and I’m playing well.”

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