Sunday was supposed to be the moment DJ Moore reclaimed the offense. Instead, it may have exposed the biggest issue Chicago didn’t want to talk about.
Rome Odunze was already ruled out with a foot injury, yet in the Chicago Bears’ crucial divisional showdown with the Packers, Moore delivered one of the worst stat lines of his career: one reception for -4 yards.
And the final play said even more than the box score…
On fourth-down with the Bears needing a touchdown to tie the game, Caleb Williams forced a throw into traffic for a game-ending interception, while DJ Moore broke wide open.
That’s not a small miss. That’s a snapshot of a much bigger problem: your franchise quarterback and your established WR1 seeing the field in two entirely different ways.
DJ Moore Has Thrived With Every Kind of Bad Quarterback Until Now
GettyBears WR1 DJ Moore
If anyone in Chicago should’ve been quarterback-proof, it was DJ Moore.
From 2018-2022 in Carolina, Moore played with more quarterbacks than most receivers cycle through in a decade: Washed Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Baker Mayfield, and even Will Grier.
Moore has gone over 1,000 yards with second-tier quarterbacks, backup quarterbacks, emergency quarterbacks, and quarterbacks who weren’t on the team two months later.
And yet now, with Caleb Williams, the most physically gifted passer he has ever lined up with, Moore is on pace for his least productive season since his rookie year.
The uncomfortable truth is this: Moore and Caleb Williams still don’t have chemistry, and it’s starting to cost Chicago games.
It didn’t help that Moore never hid how much he loved playing with Justin Fields. Then multiple times in 2024, cameras caught Moore showing visible frustration on the sideline: slamming his helmet, pacing away from teammates, hands thrown up after missed reads or late throws.
And now, with the game on the line against the Packers, Caleb Williams never saw a wide open DJ.
This Was Supposed to Be the Reset Point
GettyBears WR1 DJ Moore
With Odunze sidelined, this should have been Moore’s moment. As Richard Louis wrote earlier this week, “the veteran has a chance to change the narrative surrounding his 2025 campaign.” Instead, the narrative deepened.
Through 13 games, Moore sits at just 39 catches for 498 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has led the team in receiving yards only three games. And he hasn’t cracked 73 yards in any game this season.
Sure Green Bay is a tough matchup. They came in fourth in total defense and sixth in pass defense. But that’s exactly why the Bears needed Moore to feel like an anchor.
Moore has dominated the Packers before (three straight games over 60 yards, 37 receptions for 488 yards in six career meetings).
But that version of Moore didn’t show up. And the version that did raises a larger, uncomfortable question: If DJ Moore can’t elevate when Odunze is out and the offense needs him most… When will he?
Cuz a young quarterback’s development, a coordinator’s system, and a potential playoff run all hinge on something far simpler (and far more urgent) than scheme: Your No. 1 receiver has to play like one.
And right now? DJ Moore isn’t.
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