Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was responsible for one of the strangest moments of Week 9 when he walked off the field in the middle of a game against the Arizona Cardinals. On Wednesday, we finally got an explanation from head coach Matt Eberflus and Moore himself.
Eberflus told the media that Moore had rolled his ankle during the play, which happened with 11:13 left in the first quarter. As quarterback Caleb Williams rushed, Moore felt something in his ankle and limped off the field before the whistle blew.
I didn’t notice this live, but during that extended scramble play that ended with OPI on Keenan Allen, DJ Moore came off the field with what looked like some sort of injury. He limped at the end and sat on the bench. pic.twitter.com/YTnrZNDYfW
– Nicolas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) November 4, 2024
That’s different from what he said about Monday’s incident. At that time, he said he was unaware of the play and believed Moore had gone out of bounds and simply decided to stay on the outside for the remainder of the play.
Moore gave a more detailed explanation of what happened when asked about it Wednesday. He was already running during the game when he felt a bruised ankle and decided to take his momentum to the sideline.
Moore said the initial rolling of the ankle was painful and it didn’t subside right away, but it wasn’t bad enough for him to stop. He did drills on the sideline to warm up before the offense returned to the field.
Moore struggles to keep a straight face while he speaks, making it seem like he may not be telling the whole truth about what happened, but the entire episode didn’t have no impact on the outcome of the game or Moore’s availability. He was able to re-enter the game, played for the duration, and the Bears lost 29-9.
The Bears will face the New England Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
