DJ Moore Describes Controversial Moment When He Was Appeared Walking Off the Field in the Middle of the Game

The Chicago Bears suffered a humbling defeat against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, during which the offense struggled mightily. One moment in particular in the first quarter caught the attention of fans and led to some criticism from wide receiver DJ Moore.

On the play in question, Moore could be seen running his route, then suddenly stopping and walking toward the sideline. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams was doing everything he could to avoid giving up the sack, dodging the barrage of defensive linemen for a while after Moore left the field of play.

To many, Moore appeared to have given up on the game and withdrawn himself from it. The 27-year-old addressed the incident on Wednesday, clearing the air and stating that he was injured on the play and also went out of bounds, making him an ineligible receiver.

“My ankle twisted. I was turning back because I saw Caleb struggling and my ankle was going in and out. I couldn’t stop so my momentum took me out of bounds and then I just walked away,” Moore said.

“The first roll of the ankle was very painful, so I hobbled and sat down,” he explained.

Despite his ankle injury, Moore played 73 of the Bears’ 74 offensive snaps; This was the most among Chicago’s wide receiver corps.

Here’s a look at the game itself:

Fans had expressed their dismay that Moore chose to leave the field. They thought that even though he was out of bounds, he could still serve as bait and take up space. Now that he’s revealed he suffered an ankle injury at the time, it makes a little more sense why Williams went straight to the sideline while dodging defenders while looking for an open man.

In the game, Moore caught four receptions on nine targets for 33 yards. Moore went three consecutive games without a touchdown, failing to exceed 33 receiving yards in any game during that span. He has recorded 80 yards total in the last three games.