LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears receiver DJ Moore insisted he left the field during a play last weekend because he was hurt - not frustrated.
Moore said Wednesday he went to the sideline because he rolled his ankle when he cut back toward scrambling quarterback Caleb Williams in the opening minutes of a 29-9 loss at Arizona.
“I was coming back because I’d seen Caleb was scrambling,” he said. “My ankle went in and out. I was already – couldn’t stop, so my momentum took me out of bounds, and then I just walked off. The noise, I hear it, seen it. Really didn’t care. It is what it is.”
The Bears had the ball at midfield when Williams dropped back and rolled to his left as he was being chased. Moore cut back toward his quarterback near the sideline. He hopped as he stepped out of bounds, walked toward the bench and took a seat. But the play wasn’t over.
As Moore headed off the field, Williams spun away from a defender just when it looked like he might be sacked. He rolled toward the other side of the field before firing an incomplete pass to Keenan Allen.
Moore remained in the game, though he said the ankle bothered him the rest of the way. He caught four passes for 33 yards.
“The initial roll of the ankle was hurting bad, so that’s why I like hobbled off and sat down,” Moore said. “I came back in and was kind of like, how do you say it - reindeering? I don’t know, whatever it’s called, however you do it - just down the middle of the field. But, I mean, I didn’t stop playing the game. I didn’t not go back in the game. That’s what it was.”
It was a strange moment at a time when the Bears (4-4) are reeling. They come into Sunday’s game against New England trying to steady themselves after two staggering losses.
They were flat at Arizona after falling at Washington on a Hail Mary touchdown pass following a bye. Before that, they won three in a row.
In recent weeks, players have openly questioned decisions by the coaching staff. Moore walking off the field midplay seemed like another chapter in an unfolding drama, at least to outsiders.
“They could take it how they want to,” he said. “They (did) without even knowing what happened midplay. Can’t stop y’all from doing what y’all want to do.”
A bigger issue is that Moore and Williams haven’t developed the connection the Bears were hoping to see between the veteran and the rookie.
Moore has 374 yards receiving and three touchdowns after setting career highs with 1,364 yards and eight TDs last year following a trade from Carolina. He simply hasn’t developed the sort of chemistry with Williams that he had with Justin Fields.
Moore’s lone 100-yard outing was in a win over Carolina. In the three games since then, he has just 80 yards.
“It’s frustrating because you’ve got a guy that’s so special and not being able to connect and hit on certain passes is frustrating for myself,” Williams said. “And I know it’s frustrating for him because as a wide receiver, especially, you only get but so many chances, so many times the ball comes your way, in a game.”
NOTES: DT Andrew Billings is scheduled to have surgery this week to repair a torn pectoral muscle. He left in the second half of last weekend’s game. … S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) likely will miss his fourth straight game, coach Matt Eberflus said. … LT Braxton Jones (knee) and RT Darnell Wright (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and DE Montez Sweat (shin) were limited.
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