When Ben Johnson was hired as Chicago Bears head coach, it was only a matter of time before he broke out his offensive bag of tricks. The Bears' Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals gave Johnson a perfect stage to work on.
While all eyes were on quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver DJ Moore served as a key playmaker in the 47-42 victory. Alongside catching four passes for 72 yards, Moore both threw a touchdown pass and ran a score in. He became the first Bears wide receiver to record a passing and rushing touchdown since at least 1960, via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
Moore's touchdown pass came on a play Williams revealed to be called hot potato. After a series of pitches, the wide receiver found his quarterback wide open in the end zone for a two-yard score. With the Bengals returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, the Bears needed to respond. Which is why Johnson dove into his bag.
The wide receiver's rushing score came with a bit more controversy. Moore rushed towards the end zone and was seemingly knocked out of bounds at the one-yard line. Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor thought that Moore fumbled out of the end zone, which would've been a touchback. But after the Bengals' challenge, it was ruled that Moore broke the end zone and he was awarded a 17-yard rushing touchdown.
While it gave the Bears a 41-27 advantage, they needed all 60 minutes to come away with a win. Moving forward, it wouldn't be shocking to see Johnson cook up ways to get the ball in Moore's hand in open space.
Chicago was down two running backs in D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, forcing Moore into a larger rushing role. However, the more comfortable the receiver gets in the Bears' new offense, the more opportunities he will find.
When the Bears take on the New York Giants in Week 9, Williams will certainly be looking Moore's way. Maybe another trick play will reverse that statement, again.
