The Minnesota Vikings took a shot at the end zone to try to tie the game at the end of the first half in their Week 11 matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Vikings QB JJ McCarthy needed a pinpoint pass to hit receiver Jordan Addison for the touchdown, and instead he under-threw it, and suddenly it turned into a 50/50 ball. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright made a spectacular play on the ball and grabbed the interception to keep the Vikings off the scoreboard.
The Bears beat the Vikings, 19-17, on Cairo Santos’ walk-off field goal. Chicago wakes up in first place in the NFC North this week with a 7-3 record despite being out-scored by their opponents by six points over the course of the season. Wright’s interception was a talking point after the game, and not just because it was such a sensational grab.
Emotion poured out of Wright after making the interception, and it all comes back to the horrific murder of “Last Chance U” football coach John Beam over the week. Watch Wright’s interception here:
Wright had an emotional embrace with defensive backs coach Al Harris on the sidelines after the interception. Coming into the game, Wright had posted on social media about his special connection with Beam, and he shed new light on their relationship after the game.
Wright played for Beam at Laney College in Oakland during the 2018 season, and he credits the coach for switching him from wide receiver to cornerback. Wright eventually transferred to Oregon State and became a third round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. At 6’5, he certainly looks more like a receiver than a corner at first blush, and that extra height has helped him stand out in the NFL.
Wright spoke about his connection with Beam after the game. Watch his post-game interview here:
“He meant the world to me,” Wright said. “When my dad was killed, he came to my house and got me out of bed. Someone I could confide in, someone that I loved dearly. We talked once a week easily. Really at a loss for words. My dad was killed in 2017, and Beam stepped in as a father figure. He did a lot of me and my brother, and my family. He’s been there every step of the way, and it won’t stop. I gained an angel.”
Beam was killed on campus on Friday by a gunman who targeted him. He had gained notoriety on the Netflix show “Last Chance U.” Beam led the program to two titles at the junior college level, and had transitioned to the school’s athletic director in 2024 after retiring from coaching. Even Steph Curry honored Beam before a game this weekend. Oakland native Damian Lillard also posted a tribute to Beam on social media.
Wright and his brother are among the 20 players Beam helped put in the NFL — a remarkable achievement for a junior college coach.
Beam’s killing is senseless and devastating to the lives of the young men he touched, but his legacy will continue. Wright’s interception after losing a father figure in Beam was one of the feel-good moments of the NFL weekend.
