Talk about a gut punch.
It was only a coincidence that Darnell Mooney was sick to his stomach and missed practice Wednesday, three days after he dropped a Hail Mary pass that would have given the Bears a miraculous victory over the Browns. He’s over it.
“I had a stomach ache,” Mooney said. “The trainers took precaution. They made sure I was good. I’m fine.”
Mooney returned to practice Thursday with no repercussions from the stomach ache — or the near-miss that elicited a negative reaction from fans on social media. In fact, his phone is still on.
“My boys always send me things,” Mooney said. “I’m not away from it. That stuff doesn’t bother me. I’m trying to catch the ball. I’m falling. I got pushed out of the pile. If I would have caught it, it definitely would have been a good thing. We still have things to work on within that game beside the Hail Mary. I’m not holding on [to] it.”
Mooney’s difficult 2023 season seemed to reach a nadir against the Browns. He missed the Hail Mary opportunity. He appeared to fail to block for Justin Fields on a key fourth-and-one play where Fields was tripped up for no gain (“I was not blocking for Justin,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a pick play.”) And Mooney caught just two passes for 14 yards on eight targets.
It will take a big uptick in the final three games for Mooney to finish the season on a high note. But he’s keeping his predicament in perspective and not letting his frustration get the best of him.
“I’m blessed to be where I am,” said Mooney, who has 29 receptions for 409 yards and one touchdown this season. “All I can do is continue to work … just gotta keep a positive mindset. There’s been some pissed-off moments for sure. I’ve been mad as hell. I’m human. I expect a lot of myself. I expected to have a stellar season. I expected to be a playmaker for my team.
“That’s not the case this year. I believe in myself. My guys believe in me as well. I’m going to continue to keep working and we’ll see where the chips fall.”
Lesson learned?
Bears left tackle Braxton Jones endured a learning experience against Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett did not have a sack. And his biggest play came against tight end Cole Kmet — when Garrett tackled Khalil Herbert for a four-yard loss. But it left Jones with a lot of room for improvement.
“I think Braxton’s in a great spot,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “He played against the best player in the league. Let’s face that — the guy’s a really good player and I thought [Jones] did a really good job most of the time. … Braxton’s an ascending player, so I think there’s nothing he can’t take away from this as all growth.”
Injury report
Defensive end DeMarcus Walker (shin) also returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday. But left guard Teven Jenkins remained in concussion protocol.
Running back D’onta Foreman (personal), wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (pectoral) and linebacker Noah Sewell (knee) did not practice. Tight end Cole Kmet (quad), cornerback Jaylon Jones (calf) and running back Travis Homer (hamstring) were limited in practice.
