Heading into the Bears' season-opener against the Green Bay Packers, there was a palpable energy in Chicago.
People were gritting their teeth and foaming at the mouth at the chance, finally, to beat the Packers. An offseason filled with new signings, trades and a robust draft class gave the city hope they could defeat their longtime nemesis.
That didn't happen. The Bears lost, 38-20, in embarrassing fashion. The Packers came to the Soldier Field and made them look silly for hyping up their team in the offseason.
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For that, the Bears are out for vengeance on the Packers.
"We're gonna take it week-by-week but we're gonna have something special for them," wide receiver DJ Moore said of the Packers on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams."
Why are the Bears determined to overcome the Packers?
"One, because they were trash-talking. And two, they beat us at home so now we want to beat them at their house," Moore said.
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The Bears wide receiver claims "the whole team" has been talking trash. If you can recall, Moore got into some heated scraps with Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander during the Week 1 contest. He even shoved Alexander to the ground during the game.
Moore finished his game against Alexander and the Packers with two catches for 25 yards. And Alexander underlined Moore's stat line after the game.
“Yeah, it was real quiet for him," Alexander said of Moore. "I don’t know if anybody thought anything else was gonna happen."
That was the first of a four-game losing streak to open the season for the Bears. Brutal losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos ensued.
But Moore's belief in his team hasn't wavered. Why is that?
"Because I see all the work that we put in every day," Moore said. "And how much we want to rise from the first four weeks to now it's just been a flip of the coin and we've been on heads ever since.
"They better watch out."