Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was responsible for one of the stranger moments in Week 9 when he left the field in the middle of a play against the Arizona Cardinals. On Wednesday we finally got an explanation from both head coach Matt Eberflus and Moore himself.
Eberflus told the media that Moore rolled his ankle on the play, which happened with 11:13 left in the first quarter. As QB Caleb Williams was scrambling, Moore felt something in his ankle and staggered off the field before the whistle had blown.
I didn’t notice this live, but during this extended scramble play that ended in OPI on Keenan Allen, DJ Moore left himself off the field with what appears to be some sort of injury. He staggered away at the end and sat on the couch. pic.twitter.com/YTnrZNDYfW
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) November 4, 2024
That is different from what he said about the incident on Monday. At that point he said he was unaware of the play, and thought Moore had gone out of bounds and simply decided to stay out for the rest of the play.
Moore gave a more detailed explanation of what happened when the media asked him about it on Wednesday. He was already running during the play when he felt a kink in his ankle and decided to let his momentum carry him to the sideline.
Moore said the initial roll of the ankle was painful and it didn’t go away right away, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop. He did exercises on the sideline to keep himself warm before the offense took the field again.
Moore struggles to keep a straight face while talking, giving the feeling that he may not be telling the whole truth about what happened, but the entire episode had no bearing on the outcome of the game or Moore’s availability. He was able to re-enter the game, playing the entire time, and the Bears lost 29-9 to the Cardinals.
The Bears face the New England Patriots on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.
