Chicago Bears stars DJ Moore, Justin Fields showing they have faith in each other

LAKE FOREST – DJ Moore called it a “faith ball.”

On his second of three touchdown grabs in last week’s win over the Washington Commanders, Moore made a double move against Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller and ran toward the back of the end zone. Quarterback Justin Fields had to make a decision to throw him the ball long before it looked like Moore had his man beat.

“Justin put the ball in the right spot, and I just had to make the right play,” Moore said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “That was like a faith ball, I would call it. He had faith in me to make the catch and get my feet down.”

Moore beat his man by a step and made a leaping catch, just barely dragging his toes before his momentum took him out of bounds.

The touchdown was one of three for Moore, who totaled eight catches for 230 yards and three scores. The performance was good enough to earn him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors from the NFL. No Bears wide receiver had won the award since 1999. He became the first Bears player to win the award since Fields did following Week 9 of last season.

“It feels amazing,” said Moore, who had never won the weekly award. “I don’t know, it just feels amazing. I’m just all smiles right now. I want to chase another one [and] keep smiling.”

I don’t know, it just feels amazing. I’m just all smiles right now. I want to chase another one [and] keep smiling.”

—  DJ Moore, Bears wide receiver

The journey to the Bears’ first win of the season, and Moore’s epic performance, began months ago when the Bears traded for Moore in March. He was a key part of the trade that sent the No. 1 overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, general manager Ryan Poles hinted that he was potentially interested in acquiring a veteran player, in addition to a haul of draft picks, for the No. 1 pick. He eventually set his sites on Moore. Immediately during OTAs and into training camp, Fields and Moore set about building a rapport together on and off the field.

No play exemplifies the trust they have in each other more than the second touchdown pass in the win over Washington.

“He knows that I trust him,” Fields said. “He trusts me on that to put it in the right spot. It’s a well-executed play, and he made a great catch.”

Moore said his favorite play of the game – and there were plenty to choose from – was the third touchdown, when he put the game on ice with a 56-yard scamper. The defender sold out for a deflection, and when he missed the football Moore found himself all alone with a path to the end zone.

Moore said his connection with Fields has been good since the beginning. But the Washington game was when the rest of the football world had a chance to see it. After his big game, Moore is fifth in the NFL in receiving yards with 531 and tied for the league lead with five receiving touchdowns (along with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs and Miami’s Tyreek Hill).

The offense as a whole has looked much better over the past two games. Fields threw eight touchdown passes over those two contests against Denver and Washington.

The early-season struggles – when Fields called himself “robotic” – appear to be behind him.

“I feel like I’m just playing ball, to be honest with you,” Fields said. “I’m playing ball, and the main thing is just being locked in from the first through the fourth quarter. Me, personally, I think I can do better in the second half with staying locked in and keeping all the guys locked in and putting up the same amount of points we do in the first half.”