Feb. 3, 2026, 9:28 p.m. CT
No one was better at taking the football away than the Chicago Bears, who led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) during the 2025 season. So it’s no surprise that safety Kevin Byard and cornerback Nahshon Wright continued the streak during the Pro Bowl’s flag football game — at the expense of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
On the AFC’s opening possession, Sanders was picked off by Byard on a tipped pass, and he nearly had a pick-6. Unfortunately, a penalty negated the would-be touchdown. Last season, Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions for Chicago.
But in the second half, it was Wright’s turn to make a play. With the AFC threatening to score, Wright picked off Sanders in the back corner of the end zone to halt a scoring drive, which led to the NFC marching down the field to tie the game. Wright was right behind Byard with interceptions (5), but he did lead the NFL in total takeaways (8).
Byard and Wright are two of four Bears players participating in the 2026 Pro Bowl Games, alongside left guard Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman, who weren’t on the field for the flag football game.
Both Byard and Wright are set to hit free agency in March, which means general manager Ryan Poles has some important decisions to make. Byard and Wright have both made it clear they’d like to return to Chicago, and it sounds like at least Byard will be back after Poles singled him out when discussing players he wanted to re-sign.
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