In a particularly chippy and dirty incarnation of the rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, injuries and cheap shots began to pile up.
While the main concern on the night was a head injury to Packers quarterback Jordan Love, an earlier incident may have set something of a tone for the event.
In the first quarter, Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was running through the middle of the field on a crossing route.
As Moore was staring at quarterback Caleb Williams waiting for the ball, Packers defensive back Keisan Nixon squared up and hit the defenseless pass catcher in his blind side.
Shockingly, Nixon was not punished in any way – with no ejection taking place or even a flag being thrown by officials.
Moore needed to be removed from the contest before eventually returning to the field.
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore suffered a brutal blindside hit against the Packers
Moore was running across the middle when Keisan Nixon (25) hit him from behind
Later in the game, Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a concussion and was ruled out
Fans blasted the officials and the Packers for the move on social media.
‘How is that not a penalty? Super dirty hit on DJ Moore completely away from the play,’ said one user on X.
Not only was the injury scary for Moore’s health, it could have also seriously harmed the Bears’ chances to win the game.
Chicago entered the game with star pass catchers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden ruled out.
It left the Bears needing to roll out the likes of Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahdae Walker to deputize.
Later in the first half, the Bears inflicted some pain of their own on Love – with the quarterback getting hit on his helmet before smacking the ground.
The veteran signal caller was pulled from the game and was listed as questionable by the Packers as he was being evaluated for a concussion.
Malik Willis stepped in for Love for the rest of the first half to hold a 6-0 lead.
Eventually, the game went to overtime – where Moore hauled in an insane game-winning touchdown to beat the Packers 22-16.
