Germain Ifedi Explains Why He Pushed Rookie Teven Jenkins

Getty Teven Jenkins of the Chicago Bears blocks D.J. Wonnum #98 of the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at Soldier Field on December 20, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

It was one of the most memorable moments in an otherwise forgettable game for the Chicago Bears.

During the team’s Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, rookie quarterback Justin Fields took a late hit and rookie offensive lineman Teven Jenkins went viral for being the only o-lineman to take umbrage with it.

Jenkins got in the face of several Minnesota defenders, and even though he wasn’t the first to get physical, push literally came to shove, and the rookie left tackle was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Upon getting the 15-yard penalty, Bears veteran offensive lineman Germain Ifedi got physical with Jenkins, upset that the rookie lost his cool. Here’s a look at how it went down:

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When speaking with the media on December 23, Ifedi doubled down on his decision to get in Jenkins’ face.

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Ifedi: You Can’t Cost the Team

“There’s no good situation to cost the team in any scenario,” Ifedi said, via Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports “No matter how upset you are, you can’t do it. Look, I’ve been that guy in my career getting bad penalties. It may look like you’re doing it because of this and that. But at the end of the day, it hurts you and it hurts the team. We just can’t have that in any situation because 15 yards, you can’t get that back. There’s no play in the playbook unless the defense busts something.”

Ifedi also shared his preferred method of revenge against defenders who put questionable hits on his quarterback, and it makes a good deal of sense:

“What you have to do in that moment is, OK, I don’t like what he did but I have a lot more opportunities versus this player and I have a lot more opportunities to impose my will against this player between the whistles and do it the clean way, which is what we can do on the offensive line. We can get aggressive and do it the clean way. So, just in the future, I love the aggression. I love the passion he plays with. And I love the kid. But in the future, we don’t want to get those penalties.”

Ifedi had 39 penalties in his final three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, though, so it’s not like he’s a stranger to yellow flags himself.

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Ifedi: ‘It’s Just Tough Love’

The veteran o-lineman also noted that he felt he was holding a younger teammate accountable for a careless mistake.

“It’s just tough love,” said Ifedi. “He’s a good kid. We’re a close-knit group so we can hold each other accountable. People can say what they want about how it looked, I pushed him. We’re big boys. We’re asked to do a lot. We’re all grown men, at least in our room. Nobody’s feelings were hurt. We’re all men and we’re all accountable to everything. Just like they all hold me accountable to do my job and not hurt the team. We all hold each other accountable. Nobody is above that. Nobody is below that. That’s the good part of our room. I think that’s why we’ve had some good moments of success this year.”

For his part, Fields appreciated Jenkins having his back, but the rookie QB also echoed the sentiment of Ifedi.

“I told him I liked what he did there, and I appreciate him, but at the same time he’s got to be smart,” Fields said after the team’s Week 15 loss. “But I definitely love the mindset and I love him sticking up for me. I think that’s what we need more of. But I just told him, I love it, but just do it between the whistle.”

It may have cost the Bears 15 yards, but the team learned a bit about Jenkins’ attitude, and fans and analysts alike enjoyed seeing an offensive lineman in Chicago show some fire.