Over the course of the Bears’ 28-13 win over the Lions on Sunday a trend emerged that we haven’t seen all year. DJ Moore got some consistent action as a running back.
“We try to find different ways each week to get whoever we feel like needs to touch the ball, we try to find different ways and for that particular week, that just happened to be the direction of it,” said offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Moore ended the day with three carries, after only carrying the ball as a running back once over the 12 previous games. The Bears designed a pitch for him on 4th-and-1 that the Lions stuffed, a jet-motion handoff that went for a modest gain, and of course, the big wildcat run that went for a score.
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The Bears are no strangers to having wide receivers run the ball. That’s how Velus Jones Jr. has been deployed many times throughout his two years with the team. Rookie Tyler Scott has six carries on the year. Darnell Mooney has carried the ball twice.
But it’s fairly uncommon for Moore, who entered Sunday’s game with just 40 rushes in 92 games. His three carries were a career-high and his rushing touchdown was his first, ever.
Even so, Moore’s teammates and coaches were not surprised by his success on the big touchdown run.
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“Just as good,” said Scott about Moore the RB vs. Moore the WR. “He’s just as dynamic.
“You see what he turns into when he gets the ball in his hands… he just knows how to make people miss… I’ve seen it too many times in practice or in games.”
The play came together over the course of the practice week. Getsy encourages the offensive coaches to bring ideas to the table, and share cool plays they see across the NFL or even the college game. Most of that sharing happens on Tuesdays when the players are off.
“(Getsy) sorts through it all and figures out what’s best for us on any particular play,” said wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. “He gives us autonomy, in particular, me, to put guys in position, who I think can go out and do those particular plays in those particular spots,” said wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. “It’s fun working with him. It really is.”
Tolbert’s favorite part of the play had nothing to do with the design, or with Moore’s moves, however.
“That he didn’t get touched. He went the whole way and he didn’t get touched… until I guess Lucas Patrick or someone grabbed him off the wall.”
It was a testament to the blocking up front both from offensive linemen and wide receivers on the perimeter. In particular, Tolbert praised Trent Taylor's block on Alex Anzalone, who has a 50-pound weight advantage over Taylor.
It was also something that made D’Onta Foreman– a guy actually listed as a running back— a bit jealous.
“He didn’t really have to do nothing,” Foreman joked. “He just caught the ball and kept running.
“I was messing with him about it, like, ‘I want a run like that where I just have to run, I don’t have to do too much, and I can run free for a touchdown.’ I was just messing with him about it. It was a great play, great play by him, great call by Luke.”
Getsy brushed off a question about Moore’s three carries signaling the beginning of a new wrinkle for the Bears offense. The team probably isn’t working on making him the next Deebo Samuel. But Moore certainly looked comfortable as a rusher, and the Bears may have found a new, effective way to get the ball in his hands.
“DJ's a very talented player that can do a lot of different things,” said Getsy. “There’s no reason to hold back really in a lot of different ways with him.”