Bears' Moore regrets showing emotion at SNF

Lake Forest, Ill. — DJ Moore was unaware of how his body language was being interpreted during the Chicago Bears' 19-13 loss at Houston until he saw video clips of himself circulating on social media.

The veteran wide receiver did some “self-evaluation” after seeing how he was captured by the cameras during “Sunday Night Football” and noted that his frustration wasn't directed at the Bears' passing game or anyone in particular.

“I shouldn't have shown that much,” Moore said. “But that's part of the game. Like I said, we were one play away from turning the game around. And we just couldn't connect, nobody on offense could connect on a play or start a play to get us. Track and Go up it's football.

Down by nine points with 3:01 to play in Houston, Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw a back-shoulder pass to Moore on third-and-4 from the Texans' 36-yard line. After the throw fell incomplete, Moore lay on his back for a moment before taking off his helmet and walking to the Bears' sideline.

Cameras showed Moore sitting on the bench looking depressed, which the wide receiver said was a mischaracteristic of his body language.

“… the cameras caught that angle every chance they got,” Moore said. “I usually sit on the bench anyway, so I don't know what it is.”

Moore was targeted a team-high 10 times and caught six passes for 53 yards. When calling for his throw that ended the Bears' final drive of the game, Williams took responsibility for being off target.

“I tried to give [Moore] ball, and if I had thrown it a little less wide and given him a little more time, he would have made the play,” Williams said. make those plays.”

Moore led the Bears in receiving (1,364 yards) in his first season in Chicago in 2023 and received a four-year, $110 million contract extension in August. Despite his frustration with the Bears' offensive struggles (2.97 yards per play, the franchise's lowest total through two weeks in the Super Bowl era), Moore doesn't want his frustration to weigh on Williams.

“You want to keep things steady because then you don't want him to get frustrated and just go out there and try to make a play, which he didn't really go out there and try to make a play. [out of frustration]He was just himself,” Moore said. “That's all you can ask of him.”