Pat Surtain II has Been Burned by Bears' Talented WR Before

The Chicago Bears are a mess offensively, starting with quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has been playing poorly, and his best assets — his legs and athleticism — have been handicapped by the coaching.

Chicago's offensive line is playing so-so, but the team went and got a significant upgrade to its receiving corps. After adding Chase Claypool, the Bears thought they had a weapon, but he has been a bust since trading for him.

It has gotten so bad that serious questions about Claypool's effort are easily noticed on tape. The Bears still needed more, so they sought DJ Moore. And he's Chicago's biggest offensive threat to Denver.

Part of the reason for that is the lack of options, but Moore is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. In his first five seasons, he had three north of 1,000 yards, with his rookie and 2022 season being his only two to miss. Moore had 21 touchdowns over those five seasons and was a reliable playmaker for the Carolina Panthers, who had perennial issues at quarterback.

Over three games with the Bears, Moore has 11 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown. The Bears have one of the worst passing attacks in the NFL, but Moore is still a threat, especially against the reeling Denver Broncos' defense.

One of the few things the Bears can do decently well on offense is use their screen game. The Broncos have been attacked there, and with their tackling issues, it has a chance to continue. They also have been assaulted by speedy playmakers, and the Bears have some of those, including Moore.

Now, Moore played against the Broncos last season and had a great day. He caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. We will come back to that game. Moore is the type of receiver who can give the Broncos plenty of issues, especially with the problems they have had in their secondary.

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There is a chance that Denver will get Justin Simmons back for Week 4, and that would help the defense, though it wouldn't erase all of the defense's other issues, especially in the secondary. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Bears force Damarri Mathis to cover Moore and target the corner dominated over the first two games.

While Mathis had a better game against the Miami Dolphins, it was less because of Mathis stepping up and more because the opponent didn't need to attack him.

It will be easy to just say that Denver should match Patrick Surtain II up against Moore. That will probably be the immediate response. However, Surtain did get toasted on a 68-yard touchdown to a former teammate of Moore when Robbie Chosen (formerly Robbie Anderson) went gangbusters in garbage time. Every corner gets beaten, so it's no big deal... right?

Well, remember the Broncos-Panthers game last year where Moore had four catches for 103 yards and a touchdown? Most of that came from Moore attacking Surtain. Moore is the type of receiver that Surtain has struggled with throughout his young career.

Surtain gave up three catches to Moore on three targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. So, it isn't as simple as matching up Surtain with Moore to shut him down.

This would be a game to look at doubling Moore and forcing Fields to look elsewhere, especially with the problems the Bears are having with their passing game. Fields to Moore has been the only reliable option.

Claypool is the only Bears receiver with more than 10 targets, but the issues there have already been mentioned. He's caught only four of his 12 targets.

Bears rookie Tyler Scott has the speed to challenge the Broncos' secondary, and Darnell Mooney can be a solid receiver, but neither has been utilized this season. That falls on Fields and the offensive playcalling. There's a chance that can change vs. the Broncos after watching the Dolphins tape.

Cole Kmet has been a solid passing option as a tight end, and the Broncos linebackers can be without starter Josey Jewell due to a groin injury. Alex Singleton isn't good in coverage, and rookie Drew Sanders still has much growing to do.

Bottom Line

Denver can't shut out Moore and allow someone else to take over. Despite how bad the defense has been, the Broncos get a reprieve this week with how much the Bears offense has struggled.

If the Bears open the playbook and use their speed and Fields running ability more, the Broncos will have to be on their toes. This is a game where the Broncos' defense can kickstart a turnaround and begin to build more confidence.

However, the same can be said for the Bears offense. It's a battle of 0-3 teams and weakness against weakness. One side has to come out on top. If Denver can shut down Moore, then the odds of them getting off the schneid will improve dramatically.

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