The Chicago Bears had a tremendous opportunity in Week 1. They were hosting the rival Green Bay Packers on their home field, and were prepared to show their fans the improvements they made in the offseason. Instead, the Bears fell flat, losing 38-20.
One of the main takeaways from Chicago’s loss was the disappointing offense. The Bears converted just 3 of 13 first downs, Justin FIelds completed just three passes that had more than 6 air yards and the running backs collectively averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry. Additionally, new wideout D.J. Moore, the player who the Bears picked up in trading the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers, was targeted just twice.
After an explosive preseason, fans were expecting Moore to be a major playmaker on offense immediately, but that did not happen on Sunday. Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has been under fire for Chicago’s offensive performance in Week 1, and he understands Moore needs to get the ball … more.
“Most definitely a disappointment,” Getsy said of Moore’s lack of involvement in the season opener, per NFL.com. “There’s a lot of reasons why things happen. Protection could’ve broken down on a particular play. Justin maybe just didn’t see something in a particular way. There’s a lot of things that go into it.
“We definitely are calling plays for DJ, and he knows that. He wasn’t frustrated by any of that. Sometimes, that’s just the way the coverage dictates where the quarterback has to go with the football, too.”
Moore recorded at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage from 2019-21, and is a versatile chess piece that should make life easier on quarterbacks and offensive coordinators alike. Getsy said he will make an effort to get Moore involved moving forward.
“He’s gonna be a big part of that plan,” Getsy said. “Whatever that percentage is, I don’t have a set number for each week that we make sure he hits 40% of the targets or something like that, I don’t do that. But I know that guys like him are an important part of our plan each and every week.”
The Bears are currently on the longest active losing streak in the NFL at 11 games. They will look to snap said skid on Sunday against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that forced three turnovers in its Week 1 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.