The Chicago Bears are still trying to pick up the pieces after their 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 and figure out what went wrong.
From the accuracy issues of Caleb Williams to the three long touchdowns allowed by the Bears' defense, multiple factors went into the loss. One factor Chicago did not expecting was that star wide receiver DJ Moore would not get involved in the offense.
Moore had only one reception in the game, and it went for -4 yards in the loss. When Bears head coach Ben Johnson saw that stat line, it threw him off.
"I don’t know if there was anything with DJ. I thought he ran some pretty good routes over the course of the day and we just couldn’t give him the ball. Which, that was not the intent. I thought going into the game we might have had more for him than any other player in the offense. Was a little surprised at the end when I saw the stat sheet for one catch like he had."
Moore has not impressed this season for the Bears
While there have been some nice moments from Moore this season, overall, it has been quite the disappointment. He currently has 39 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 67 rushing yards and another score.
Part of the problem was the early-season emergence of Rome Odunze, who was a dominant force in the offense. Rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III has found some life in the offense over the last few weeks with his bubble screens, and he is starting to hit him on crossing routes.
It has also been the tight ends, Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, who have been more involved in the offense, making big plays. Loveland, in particular, has cemented himself as the number two target in the passing game behind Odunze.
Moore has had only one game where he has caught for over 50 yards in the last five contests, and that was the 64 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, twice he has had zero or fewer yards of offense over the last month plus.
Read more: Ben Johnson's patience is running thin with Bears' $40 million liability
It's getting to the point where this offense, the Bears might have to decide between Moore, as he is not as productive a receiver as they had hoped. Moore still has four games to prove his worth to the franchise.