Moore on Bears after Commanders loss: “The sky isn’t falling” |
CHICAGO—Wide receiver DJ Moore is one of the most elite players in the NFL. You would not know it by his numbers, however, as Moore has only six receptions for 47 yards over the last two games. Some receivers would have a problem with this lack of productivity.
However, Moore is a team player and knows that what is best for the team is the most important thing. “It’s all in the scheme of things,” Moore said. “So, I know my role when it comes to certain plays, and I don’t want to go outside of that and mess up somebody (else’s) chances of getting the ball and (we) got all these playmakers out there. You can’t just break the leash and just run your own stuff.” Perhaps cornerback Tyrique Stevenson could learn from Moore. Stevenson decided to deviate from his responsibilities and run his own play. After having his back turned to the play when the ball was snapped, he tried to intercept the ball instead of blocking receiver Noah Brown. Brown ended up wide open and making the Hail Mary reception. Despite the lack of apparent punishment for Stevenson, Moore says he took responsibility for his actions. “I think he did a good job just telling everybody in the building that he was sorry and going to be better and learn from it,” Moore said. “If he does, that’s great. If he doesn’t then that’s when something really got to be done.” This is Moore’s second season with the Bears. He has experienced a lot of adversity with Chicago, which was in the midst of a 14-game losing streak when he arrived. Now Chicago is dealing with more adversity with the Hail Mary loss, but Moore is confident they can bounce back from this. “Now you really get to see if we (can) bounce back and really stay together and that’s the biggest thing … We’re not below 500. The sky isn’t falling. So, on to the next opponent. That’s the Cardinals and we got to just figure out a way to be 1-0 this week,” Moore said. “The Indie loss, we (were) tested then and we bounced back with (a) three game win streak and now we had this one, which was even bigger because it was a NFC opponent. So, now we got to just go try to cook another NFC opponent the way we just lost and make them feel how we feel and just win from then on.” The Chicago Bears are looking to get back on track when they face the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday (3:05 p.m./CBS). In his career, Moore has played Arizona five times, putting up 18 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown. While these are not outstanding numbers, playing the Cardinals this year will allow him to get back on track with the elite numbers Chicago fans know he is capable of. Arizona has one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL, giving up the seventh-most passing yards through the first eight weeks of the season. They also give up a decent amount of passing touchdowns and are mediocre at getting interceptions defensively. Their rushing defense is also one of the worst in the league, giving the offense as a whole a chance to get back on track.
