There was something extra in that howl, wasn’t there?
Something in the way Chicago Bears receiver DJ Moore erupted after catching his 30-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of Sunday’s first half felt significant.
Something about the passion of Moore’s howl in Soldier Field’s north end zone seemed like it carried added weight.
This wasn’t just a veteran receiver scoring against the team with whom he had spent the first five seasons of his career. And it wasn’t just an exclamation point on a dominant first half that saw the Bears, behind two Moore touchdowns, build a 20-point advantage on the way to a 36-10 blowout of the Carolina Panthers.
This was a release — therapeutic almost — allowing Moore to uncork every ounce of frustration, commitment, impatience and competitiveness he had felt through the season’s first month.
“I had a lot of energy (right there),” Moore said. “You know why? Because we have been hoping on that play. And we finally connected on it.”
Moore’s scream felt justified, the snapshot that truly captured his five-catch, 105-yard outing, a performance that offered an undeniable step forward in his evolving connection with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
And man, that entire sequence was a thing of beauty.
For Moore and Williams. And for the entire offense, really.
As the Bears wound up for their first-half knockout punch against a wounded and staggering Panthers team, Moore found himself isolated to the left and drawing man coverage from cornerback Mike Jackson.
Williams used a pre-snap check to realign the Panthers defense. Most significantly, with three other dangerous Bears weapons spread to the right, safety Xavier Woods began cheating in that direction before the play began.
That gave Williams and Moore the window they wanted, the opportunity they had longed for.
Moore beat Jackson with an inside release and angled his deep route toward the post. Williams, after steering Woods with his eyes, came back to Moore with a golden opportunity. The young quarterback ripped a pretty deep ball through the afternoon’s unpredictable winds.
“It was just a dot,” Moore said. “We work on that in practice. And when he threw it, I was like, ‘Man, this is a touchdown.’ Because I knew I had crossed the corner’s face and there was nobody in the middle of the field. So I was like, ‘This is my ball or it’s nobody’s.’ And 99% of the time, it’s mine.”
Williams’ pass dropped perfectly into the back of the end zone where Moore went up in front of Jackson to haul it in, then bounced to his feet with fire in his eyes and that primal scream exploding from deep within.
For those who had been fixated on Moore’s manner and body language throughout a bumpy September, understand what that was.
Said Williams: “We got to the sideline and we were both like, ‘Finally, we were able to hit something like that.’ … I’ve been wanting one of those. DJ is such a special player and you all saw it today.”
That was the second of two Williams-to-Moore touchdown connections Sunday and the fourth of five Bears TDs in the game. It came as part of a 424-yard outing by the offense with Williams (20-for-24, 304 yards, two touchdowns) registering his second 300-yard passing outing in three weeks.
It was also a byproduct of the extra attention Williams and Moore have been giving their chemistry, working to get on the same page to unlock an important dimension to the Bears offense.
“We’ve seen that in practice,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “So we always tell guys, ‘You’ll see it on the practice field before you see it in the game.’ Well, we’ve seen those. They have made some good connections the past couple weeks. We’ve just been waiting for it (in a game).”
Sunday seemed to be the indicator that the wait was over.
“Man,” Moore said, “it’s amazing. What is this? Week 5? It took five weeks to get the downfield passing game going. But when it hits, it hits. And it was good today.”
Make no mistake, there were plenty of major contributors to the Bears’ blowout win on Sunday. On defense, DeMarcus Walker, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Austin Booker and Kyler Gordon all had sacks. Kevin Byard made an interception. Tremaine Edmunds and Jaquan Brisker forced fumbles and Gordon and Dexter came up with the recoveries.
Offensively, Roschon Johnson scored two touchdowns and D’Andre Swift added another.
Yep, this was a thorough trouncing of a 1-4 Panthers team that is falling apart right now. But the Bears showed the requisite focus to handle their business.
“That was one of the better games I’ve been a part of since I got here honestly,” tight end Cole Kmet said.
Coming into the day, Carolina ranked 27th in total defense, 30th in quarterback sacks, 29th in rush defense, 28th on third downs and dead last inside the red zone. The Bears offense knew it was approaching a potential confidence springboard. And to the Bears’ credit, they hit the sweet spot and took off with the Williams-and-Moore aerial artistry providing the style points.
That late first-half touchdown pass came four possessions after the duo hooked up for their first score, a 34-yard shot in the first quarter. Moore — with a major assist from a Keenan Allen crossing out — broke very free from cornerback Jaycee Horn and Williams simply had to see him.
“It was a big, wide void over there,” Moore said. “Rome (Odunze) and Keenan did a great job of taking the safety and the nickel out of there. And I just came across the field streaking open.”
Moore caught that Williams pass at the 13-yard line and, by his own admission, a bit off balance as he tried to figure out where he was on the field. But he showed impressive agility to stay inbounds along the right sideline and take the ball across the goal line.
That was yet another big play — one of six Williams passes for at least 20 yards Sunday — that has Moore convinced the offense is about to click the way it’s supposed to.
“We’re having a lot of fun doing it,” Moore said. “With fun comes a lot of wins. And with a lot of wins comes a lot of fun.”
The Bears remain hopeful that Sunday’s success will carry forward. But for one afternoon, an important connection seemed to be established.
