WATCH: Tarik Cohen does Devin Hester impression with improbable TD return
This is the best return touchdown of the 2017 season
A long time ago, in an era of Bears football that feels far, far away, the Bears' special teams were feared throughout the league due to the presence of a returner named Devin Hester. With the Bears from 2006-13, Hester scored 18 kick/punt return touchdowns in regular-season action.
After Hester left Chicago, the Bears' special teams entered a dark era of chaos (the bad kind) and disappointment, as they were unable to find a capable player to replace Hester -- and with good reason. It's pretty impossible to replace Devin Hester.
Maybe rookie running back Tarik Cohen is the finally the new hope the Bears have been searching for. Against the 49ers on Sunday, Cohen pulled of the kind of return that likely reminded Chicagoans of the Hester era. It'll officially go down as a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown, but as you'll see below, it was much, much more than that.
How many yards did Cohen actually cover to reach the end zone here?
No no no...
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 3, 2017
go GO GOOOOOOOO!#SFvsCHI #DaBears pic.twitter.com/YikwOZVHAU
Cohen might not ever become Hester -- because Hester really was one of a kind -- but he's rounding into a really nice player for the Bears. Drafted in the fourth round of this year's draft, Cohen entered the game with 534 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage.
Of note:
Tarik Cohen is the 1st rookie since Hall of Famer Gale Sayers in 1965 to have a PR-TD, rushing TD, receiving TD & passing TD in a season.
— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) December 3, 2017
He is the 1st player to accomplish the feat since Terry Metcalf in 1975. pic.twitter.com/WYKr3nQBOu
The Bears are not a good football team, evidenced by their 3-8 record, but thanks to Cohen, they held a 14-9 lead over Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers (another bad football team) at halftime. Follow along in the second half here.
















