Bears QB Caleb Williams defends DJ Moore against criticism of effort on game-costing interception vs. Rams

However the blame falls, the Bears' season ended abruptly Sunday when quarterback Caleb Williams threw an interception in overtime and the Rams turned it into a field goal to win 20-17 in the divisional round of the playoffs. Williams threw three interceptions in the game after just seven in the regular season, and he and wide receiver DJ Moore were under scrutiny for how it happened.

Moore, who has a history of issues with body language, has been criticized by analysts and fans on social media for not running hard on the route and allowing Rams safety Kam Curl to cut in front of him for the interception. Former Bears backup quarterback Chase Daniel, for example, ripped Moore in a video about the play, saying, ""If this is the effort with the season on the line... that's not the effort that you want."

Williams, though, defended Moore by saying it was "just a miscommunication" and/or misunderstanding. He wanted to "flatten" Moore's route on the fly, but Moore stayed on the more downfield route he was supposed to take.

"I felt like we had enough space over there so I tried to flatten him off," Williams said Monday morning as players cleaned out their lockers at Halas Hall and went through exit meetings. 'His route is to go deep and attack that angle, which he did. [I] thought we were going to go under the safety at that point. It didn’t happen that way."

Williams completed 23 of 42 passes for 257 yards with two touchdown passes and a career-high three interceptions for a 59.3 passer rating in the loss. Moore caught five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

The interception in overtime squandered a chance to win as the Bears had second-and-eight at the Rams' 48-yard line and needed only a field goal to end the game. Instead, the Rams drove from the spot of the interception at their own 22-yard line to the Bears' 24 and won it on Harrison Mevis' 42-yard field goal.