DJ Moore would never want to play running back — “They don’t get paid enough,” he joked — but the Bears receiver sure looked the part in the first quarter Sunday.
Technically, he was the quarterback. Quarterback Justin Fields switched places with Moore after the Bears were set at the line of scrimmage on second-and-7 from the Lions’ 16. Moore took a shotgun snap and ran left; Fields, who was split left, ran an end around.
Moore faked the handoff to Fields, kept the ball and ran up the left sideline for the Bears’ first touchdown. It was his first-ever rushing touchdown.
“I was tunnel vision on it,” Moore said. “I see everybody hit their right blocks — ‘This is an automatic touchdown.”
Offensive line coach Chris Morgan had predicted all week the play would go for a score. Fields said he was excited when the play call came in because he was tired and needed a break. All he had to do was carry out the fake.
“That was a cool play, wasn’t it?” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “I liked that. That was good because you’ve got your two best players right there, guys that really are what the defense is really worried about. And you’ve got one going this way and one going that way, so they draw attention.”
Tight end Cole Kmet was impressed by Moore.
“He’s got really rare balance,” he said. “You watch him. He’s kinda like a blend of Jamarr Chase and Deebo Samuel in a way — his strength and speed and all that.”
He wasn’t able to show it off on another trick play — one that wasn’t nearly as successful. On fourth-and-1 from the Lions’ 38, the Bears lined Fields up as though he was going to run a “tush push” sneak — and then had him pitch to Moore in the backfield. He was stuffed for no gain.
Eberflus said the Bears liked the play, but the Lions did a good job of executing. The Lions scored the next 13 points — “That’s kind of where the momentum shifted,” Eberflus said — before the Bears dominated the second half.
First career rushing TD for DJ Moore! 🔥
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 10, 2023
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/CKmWc6SxLu
