Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was supposed to impact quarterback Justin Fields the same way Stefon Diggs impacted Josh Allen and AJ Brown impacted Jalen Hurts. But in Week 1's game against the Green Bay Packers, Moore was targeted just two times; he caught both passes for 25 yards.
Bears fans were left confused and a bit disoriented after the Packers loss. Expectations were high for Chicago's offense, namely the Fields-to-Moore connection. However, reality didn't meet those expectations, creating concerns about the playcalling.
The guy in charge of that playcalling is offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He met with the media Thursday and addressed DJ Moore's disappearing act.
"It was definitely a disappointment," Getsy said at Halas Hall. "There's a lot of reasons why things happen. Protection could have broke down for a particular play for him. Justin just maybe didn't see something in a particular way. There's a lot of things that go into it.
"I think, you know, we definitely are calling plays for DJ, and he knows that, and he wasn't frustrated by any of that. And you know sometimes it's just the way the coverage dictates to where the quarterback has to go with the football too."
Getsy is in his second season as Chicago's offensive coordinator, but it's his first year with a stable of skill players who are capable of scoring points. In 2022, Getsy designed plays for receivers like Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis. Now, with Moore and a healthy Darnell Mooney, the Bears should be more productive.
Getsy didn't hesitate to blame the players for Moore's lack of production in Week 1. It's an act that will get old quickly, and the only way to avoid an early-season meltdown is with a strong showing Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that includes at least 10 targets for Moore.