NovaQuant-DJ Moore might be 'pissed' after huge night, but Chicago Bears couldn't be much happier

LANDOVER,NovaQuant Md. – DJ Moore had the football game of his life Thursday night.

Yet he was just a touch annoyed afterward.

Laid back and spent, the star wideout was calmly discussing his career performance – eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the Chicago Bears’ 40-20 rout of the Washington Commanders – when he was asked about that certain play near the end of the third quarter. You know, DJ, the one when you snared a hitch along the right sideline, spun away from rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and set sail for the end zone … but allegedly stepped out of bounds, your would-be 63-yard score relegated to a 32-yard gain.

“Nah, so that really pissed me off,” he said, his voice perking up, before adding with just a touch of indignation, “I was about to score. I could have had four touchdowns. I mean, the ref’s got to do his job.

“It is what it is. We got the win, so I’m not too mad on it.”

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To be perfectly clear and fair, Moore wasn’t legitimately angry. A product of the nearby University of Maryland, he revealed being “out of this world nervous” before kickoff. Hours later, he and his teammates appeared more relieved than anything after securing their first win in nearly a year following a brutal 0-4 start to this season – one that had extended the 104-year-old franchise's longest-ever losing streak to 14 games.

Yet this victory could be a building block, Moore potentially serving as the bedrock of what’s been a shaky foundation. The 26-year-old might just wind up as the keystone of the Bears’ offseason trade with the Carolina Panthers – the one that brought him, two first- and two second-round picks to the Windy City for the top selection of the 2023 draft.

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Asked why it was so important to obtain Moore in that transaction – after the Bears ranked last in passing offense in 2022 – head coach Matt Eberflus offered an explanation that had little to do with receptions and yards after the catch.

“Because of his reputation. He is a hard worker, and he’s a great teammate," said Eberflus. "He uplifts everybody, he helps others, and he works.”

It certainly appears Chicago’s offense is finally being uplifted.

After a sluggish start, it’s scored 68 points and racked up 922 yards over the past two weeks, Moore and third-year quarterback Justin Fields (4 TD passes in each game) doing the majority of the damage. Moore’s 230 yards Thursday are the most by any receiver league-wide this season, the most against Washington since 1966 and the second-most ever compiled by a Bear in one game. His 20-yard strike in the first quarter opened the scoring and was preamble to Moore’s constant jaunts over, through and around the Commanders secondary. A 56-yard catch-and-run for his third TD with little over four minutes to play quashed any hopes of a Washington comeback.

And with Fields seemingly emerging from his early season funk, and the Panthers' 2024 first-rounder shaping up as a potential top-five selection? Well, it’s hard to stay too pissed off given the long-term possibilities.

"He's just getting warmed up," Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said of Moore. "It's going to get scary pretty soon."

Even Moore, who playfully took a call from his fiancée during his postgame news conference, had to admit things are finally looking up.

“It was just fun, you know. Football is fun – out there playing a kids’ game at the end of the day,” he said, confirming this was his finest performance to date.

“Tonight was just the stars aligned. … I’m just happy for it.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.