Chicago Bears fans not only had to deal with an infuriating 27-24 loss to a division rival this past week, but a frustrating injury list resulting from a physical match. A big piece of this was DJ Moore suffering what was listed as an abdomen/groin injury. However, good news arrived early in the week with Moore being listed as an active participant in Chicago's first official injury report. This was followed up with more positive reports that have Moore locked into the starting lineup for Week 2. Something that was a must for the Bears to have any hopes of an upset.
The Bears will be playing a Detroit Lions team coming off getting completely dominated by the Green Bay Packers. Making sure there is zero chance Chicago is going to sneak up on the defending NFC North champs. Added to this is the obvious story of head coach Ben Johnson returning to Detroit.
Bears Fans can Breathe a Collective Sigh of Relief as DJ Moore Rejoins Chicago's Lineup
Understanding the challenge that lies ahead, having Moore as close to healthy as possible is vital for Chicago's chances of pulling off the upset. There were signs of Caleb Williams and the star finally getting on the same page in Monday night's frustrating loss. Fans hope that this is the start of something great and not simply an outlier for an offense that was horribly inconsistent a season ago.
The point remains that if the Bears are going to have a chance to pull off the upset, Moore needs to be healthy, giving the quarterback a chance to finally enjoy a breakout game in a big spot. So often Williams has been just a step short of a defining game, just as last week's loss again showed. It started out incredibly, and the starter finished strong, mixing in a frustrating implosion in the middle of the game.
This was while Moore was in the lineup, leaving room to wonder just how much the young quarterback might struggle if the pass catcher was forced to miss any time. However, it seems that this is no longer a concern with the star returning to full practices and ready to go after a rough first week.
It would be surprising not to see Williams and Moore work to establish early chemistry in this game in an attempt to help get the offense rolling early and put pressure on Dan Campbell's Detroit Lions.