DJ Moore Injury Update
It’s a funny thing about football one minute you’re watching the Chicago Bears try to keep things interesting on a Monday night, the next you’re staring at the TV, holding your breath because DJ Moore is down and not getting up. In Week 1 against the Vikings, with Chicago trying desperately to hang on late in the fourth quarter, Moore got absolutely clobbered over the middle.
Caleb Williams, who’s still getting his NFL sea legs, zipped a 3rd and 10 pass Moore’s way. Here’s where sports fans collectively tense up: Moore was immediately sandwiched between two defenders, dropped the ball, and went flat. Not a sight any Bears fan wants to see Moore stayed down, the camera panned to trainers hustling out. It’s in moments like this you realize how suddenly things can shift in the NFL.
So, what’s the deal with the injury? Officially, the Bears called it a rib issue, which, as anyone who’s ever sneezed with bruised ribs will tell you, is no joke. You know it’s rough when a wide receiver usually one of the toughest folks on the field needs to be helped to the sidelines.
Moore was on the turf for a while, clearly in pain, and for those few minutes, you could practically feel the anxiety crackling through Soldier Field. I flashed back to Allen Robinson in 2019 I know, different era, but Chicago receivers and hard hits have a fraught relationship. It’s like football karma, or just the plain reality of crossing the middle in the NFL.
To answer the “when” crowd: it all went down with less than three minutes left on the clock, right as the Bears were still clinging to the hope of a comeback. The energy in the building shifted after all, this is supposed to be the season Chicago finally gets out of the basement, and DJ Moore is key to that.
The Bears’ sideline looked like they were watching a guy walk a tightrope. Someone behind me at the bar muttered, “Well, that’s the season we’re a dramatic bunch in Chicago. But only a handful of plays later, Moore was actually back out there.
Wait, really? Yep, after all that drama, DJ Moore returned to the field before the end of the game. So much for a Hollywood-style tragedy. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, maybe it’s the training staff, maybe it’s just the bizarre resilience of NFL players, but Moore shook off that monster hit and suited back up.
The Bears aren’t currently listing him on the injury report, which usually means he’s not about to miss time. That isn’t to wave away the fact that rib injuries can linger, just ask anyone who’s followed the league for a minute, but for now, Moore looks good to go. It’s the best kind of ending for a bad scare on opening night: battered, maybe; broken, definitely not. And if you’re a fantasy owner, you probably clenched, then exhaled, and went scouring for updates.
At the end of the day, football reminds you how quickly fortunes turn and how much drama gets packed into those unpredictable four quarters. DJ Moore got rocked, got up, and went right back to work, one more reason he’s a fan favorite, and one more reason Bears fans can dream just a little longer this season.
