Bears wide receiver DJ Moore is a mellow guy who probably doesn’t think about his weekly press conference until he’s up on the podium at Halas Hall. But 230 receiving yards in one game led to an exception.
So a year after Moore had a career-best performance against the Commanders — eight receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears’ 40-20 victory at FedEx Field — even he knew what was coming Wednesday, with another trip to D.C. to face the Commanders on Sunday.
“I knew somebody was going to ask me that last night,” Moore said. “I was like, ‘Do I say the real answer or do I come up with something politically correct?’”
How about both?
“All right,” Moore said. “Yeah, I think about it — 230 don’t go out [of] your mind when you’re playing [the same] team from last year. But it’s a new year, and they’ve got new people — some new people — so we’ll see what happens.”
Indeed, the Commanders’ defense is significantly improved under coach Dan Quinn. Last year, the Commanders were 32nd and last in the NFL in points, total yards and passing yards. Through seven games this season, they rank 15th in points, 16th in yards and 12th in passing yards.
But it’s a different Bears offense, too. Against the Commanders last year, Moore had 230 of Justin Fields’ 282 passing yards (81.6%). No other Bears receiver had a reception.
Moore’s overall numbers are down this season — 31 receptions for 314 yards and three touchdowns. His yards per game has dropped from 80.2 last year to 52.3 this year. His yards per catch has dropped from 14.2 to 10.1.
But he’s in a better offense, with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and other productive receivers in Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze and tight end Cole Kmet — which makes all the difference. After a slow start, the Bears have scored 95 points in their last three games.
What happened?
“Probably just seeing the defense dominating the opponent on their side and us not holding up our end,” Moore said. “So we had to turn it up a notch. And here we are. And it’s finally clicking. We just got to keep going.”
Still, topping 230 yards is hard to not think about.
“There’s nothing that’s saying [I won’t top] that right now,” Moore said with a smile. “But I’ll tell you later on in the week if I do.”
Injury report
Safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. But cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (calf), who did not play against the Jaguars in London, returned to practice on a limited basis.
Long-snapper Scott Daly (knee), who suffered a knee injury against the Jaguars, had full participation in practice. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and cornerback Terell Smith (hip) returned to practice on a limited basis. Smith has missed the last three games. Pickens has been out all season.
Offensive lineman Larry Borom (ankle) and running back Travis Homer (finger), who are on injured reserve, returned to practice, opening the 21-day window for re-activation to the 53-man roster.
Kreutz a step closer to HOF
Three former Bears players — center Olin Kreutz, guard Ruben Brown and defensive end Jared Allen — made the cut-down to 50 modern-era players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Hall announced Wednesday.
Two Chicagoans — defensive end Simeon Rice (Mount Carmel) and safety Rodney Harrison (Marian Catholic) also made the list. Harrison was a finalist in 2024.
The list will be cut to 25 semifinalists next month.
Line continuity
Eberflus confirmed that the starting offensive line combination will stay intact — left tackle Braxton Jones, left guard Teven Jenkins, center Coleman Shelton, right guard Matt Pryor and right tackle Darnell Wright.
This will be the fifth consecutive game that lineup has started — the longest streak of continuity in the 40-game Eberflus era.