Caleb Williams makes interesting admission about DJ Moore following OT miscommunication

The play shone a brighter spotlight on Moore’s perceived effort issues, which could loom large this offseason.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) runs with the ball against Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) after intercepting a pass thrown by quarterback Caleb Williams (not pictured) during the first quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The only play from the Bears’ Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams that’s been watched and dissected more than Caleb Williams’ zero-probability touchdown throw to Cole Kmet at the end of the fourth quarter is the missed connection between Williams and DJ Moore that led to a back-breaking overtime interception. 

Williams, for his part, hasn’t called out more specifically, chalking the play up to a miscommunication in which he threw the ball to a spot Moore didn’t end up at.

Other criticisms of the play have been more pointed, noting that Moore didn’t seem to be expecting the ball and therefore wasn’t running his route full speed. As such, when he saw the ball coming his way, he didn’t adjust his route the way Williams was expecting, which helped contribute to the fate-sealing pick. 

But the most potentially telling piece of information Williams volunteered to reporters this morning during the team’s locker room cleanout is that he and Moore still haven’t gotten on the same page about it.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Williams said the two haven’t spoken about the play yet, though he says he plans to talk things through with all the receivers going forward to make sure future mishaps are less frequent.

“Small things like that that show up in those moments that you may not have talked about, being on the same page, maybe you talked about it in Week 1 or Week 6 and it shows up in [Week 20]. You know, it’s something to learn from for myself, a learning experience, it’s something for us to learn from as an offense and as a team. We’ll go do that at some time,” the young quarterback said.

As you can see, there are no shots at Moore, and more than enough accountability from Williams, who had his own struggles in the loss to the Rams. Also, it might not be the most pressing thing in the world to talk about such a painful play this soon. One assumes they might discuss it later.

But the lack of conversation between the quarterback and receiver feels notable here because of the conversation around Moore and his future in Chicago.

While the veteran receiver is under contract for the next two seasons, this year didn’t go very well for Moore statistically, as he notched just 682 receiving yards on 50 catches—both of which are the lowest totals of his career. Moreover, his apparent lack of motivation at times, whether because he’s not getting the ball or simply isn’t expecting it on a given play, have earned him some sharp criticism this season.

To be fair, Moore plays through a lot of physical issues, including coming back from being in the blue medical tent a couple of times against LA. Plus, he did make more of an impact down the stretch, especially in the wins against the Green Bay Packers this season.

But the fact that such “small things,” as Williams put them, led to such a collapse with a trip to the NFC Championship on the line are a problem, especially with Moore being a seasoned veteran at this point. What’s more: the emergence of Colston Loveland as the team’s top receiving option and Luther Burden III’s likely ascent into a bigger role next season, make it passible that Moore’s spot on the Bears isn’t guaranteed. A trade, particularly after June 1 next year, would save the Bears an enormous amount of cap space—something the team desparately needs.

Maybe this is nothing to write home about in the end. Perhaps Moore and the rest of the Bears just need to blow off some steam before processing what happened last night. But something about the tea leaves, combined with Moore not being available to media last night, feels ominous in this case. Raw emotion is understandable, but being accountable for mistakes is a must on this big a stage.

Moore’s still a good player and has done a lot of good with the Bears, even when accounting for this subpar season. We might even forget he caught a touchdown pass in the same game as this blunder. But it's the latter play and its aftermath that make you wonder how much longer he'll be in a Bears uniform.

More Chicago Bears News:

• Jaquan Brisker issues a warning to the NFL about Caleb Williams

• Bears “Stock Up” Divisional Round: Jaquan Brisker put it all on the line

• Bears “Stock Down” Divisional Round: Receivers let Bears down

• 4 reasons the Bears lost to the Rams in the Divisional Round