The Chicago Bears suffered a humbling defeat against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, during which the offense struggled massively. One moment in particular during the first quarter caught the attention of fans, leading to some criticism of wide receiver DJ Moore.
On the play in question, Moore could be seen running his route before abruptly stopping and walking toward the sideline. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams was doing everything in his power to avoid giving up a sack, eluding a barrage of incoming defensive linemen for a while after Moore exited the playing field.
It appeared to many as if Moore had given up on the play and checked himself out of the game. The 27-year-old addressed the incident on Wednesday, clearing the air and indicating that he'd sustained an injury on the play and had also stepped out of bounds, making him an ineligible receiver.
"Tweaked ankle. I was coming back to–cause I'd seen Caleb scrambling and my ankle went in and out. I couldn't stop so my momentum took me out of bounds and then I just walked off," said Moore.
DJ Moore on taking himself out mid-play last week pic.twitter.com/5JGVswNHr8
— Dave (@dave_bfr) November 6, 2024
"The initial roll of the ankle was hurting bad, so that's why I hobbled off and sat down," he clarified.
Despite the ankle injury, Moore played 73 of the Bears' 74 offensive snaps, which was the most among Chicago's wide receiving corps.
Here's a look at the play itself:
Wait….DJ Moore walked off the field on a play?? pic.twitter.com/YWf2YjaBmq
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 4, 2024
Fans had expressed their dismay that Moore elected to walk off the field. Despite having stepped out of bounds, they felt as if he could still serve as a decoy and take up space. Now that he's revealed he was dealing with an ankle injury at the time, it makes a bit more sense why he went straight to the sideline while Williams evaded defenders while searching for an open man.
In the game, Moore caught four receptions on nine targets for 33 yards. Moore has now gone three consecutive games without a touchdown, and has not surpassed 33 receiving yards in any game during that span. In total, he's recorded 80 yards over the last three games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as DJ Moore Addresses Controversial Moment Where He Appeared to Walk Off Field Mid-Play.
