Bear Digest

DJ Moore's Reactions Say It All About the Bears Passing Game

Bears wide receiver has trouble making connections with Caleb Williams and it led to some very visible moments of frustration in Sunday's loss.

Gene Chamberlain

DJ Moore reacts after a missed chance on a pass in Sunday night's game against the Texans.
DJ Moore reacts after a missed chance on a pass in Sunday night's game against the Texans. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Bears on Wednesday almost seemed to be trying to convince themselves they saw progress in the offense after their loss to the Houston Texans.

They need to advance with the attack soon because their defense is obviously ready and waiting to move forward and compete.

Probably the expressions of wide receiver DJ Moore after a pass gone astray said it all when cameras caught him in a few instances either pouting or looking disgusted.

"I really wasn't frustrated with the passing game," Moore said. "We were just one play away and we couldn't get that one play to hit. That's why I was really frustrated."

Moore regretted at least a part of the reactions he had. He reacted badly on one overthrow.

BEARS CAN'T COMPLETELY AVOID BLAME GAME ON BLOCKING

UPDATED BEARS INJURY REPORT: KEENAN ALLEN AND TEVEN JENKINS SIT OUT

COLTS TO BE CONCERNED WITH IN MATT EBERFLUS' HOMECOMING GAME

LINCOLN RILEY POSSIBILITY FOR BEARS MERELY SILLY NAME DROPPING

"Yeah, I shouldn't have shown as much, but it's a part of the game," he said. "Like I said, we were one play away from the game changing. And we just couldn't connect, nobody on offense could connect with the one play or get the one play started to get us on track and go up. It's football. Everybody is going to have their ups and downs and frustrations."

Apparently people need to be smiling and hollering all the time now on the bench, too, in this era of cameras everywhere.

"I usually sit on the bench like that anyway so I don't know what that's about," Moore said.

What Moore did know was they need to find a way to move the ball.

"I mean, not that it's live-action it's like 'Shoot' we really have to step back and really look at the expectations and hone in on our identity, whether it's going to be running the ball or passing the ball and getting that down pat," Moore said.

Both Matt Eberflus and Caleb Williams say they detected things to really smile about after a 71-yard rushing effort and 174 yards passing. It was better, they said, and technically they were right. They only had 148 yards net the previous game. But if the offense keeps progressing at this pace it might be sometime early January when they hit the right level.

Finding their proverbial offensive identity is the issue.


"It's we're working and guys are working on fundamentals and we're figuring out what we do well," Eberflus said. "It's the second game in our offense so we're going to figure it out.

"I believe that we got better last week in terms of rhythm, timing, passing, distributing the ball to the skill. OK. Now we're working run game, all the other things that come off that and, like I said, we're a work in progress. And I believe in the coaches and I believe in the players and the guys are working to get that done."

Williams specified areas he saw as improvements, although the football commoner would have an awful time trying to find these on a stat sheet.

"Communication-wise in the huddle and all of that, I believe we did a good job," Williams said. "I would say the pass game, rhythm and things like that, felt good.

"Obviously, I had the two stupid mistakes (interceptions) that won't happen again. I think rhythm, pass game, getting the ball to receivers. I think I got better getting the ball out of my hands, it felt like, trying to stay in the right range of timing for the offensive lineman and myself and the routes and things like that. I think those are the few spots that I have gotten better at.”

Now, if they can get a running game going and stop missing on the longer passes downfield, Moore won't have to make strange faces and look pained.

"Yeah, it’s just, you know, we’re trying to get on the same page. That’s what it comes down to. Because we want to complete those," Williams said.

One deeper attempt, in particular, irked him.

"I mean, obviously it's not a layup, but it's one of those," Williams said. "The corner is playing over the top, DJ ran a slant, took it upfield on the slant and go. And the DB kind of bit for a quick second and then tried to retrace and got over top.

"I wanted to just get the ball in DJ’s hands, get him the ball obviously. He does spectacular things with the ball in his hands. So tried to give him the ball, and if I threw it a little less wide and gave him a little bit more time, he would have made the play. And so we'll be hitting on those here soon, and we're going to be making those plays."

Twitter: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.