CHICAGO — If the NFL had asked DJ Moore’s opinion about scheduling the Chicago Bears bye week, he would’ve been firmly in the camp of the proverb, “Good things come to those who wait.”

“I tell you now that this Week 5 bye week is terrible,” said the Bears veteran receiver, channeling several teammates’ sentiments. “Why? We didn’t even really play no games. I mean now we got 13-plus straight. That takes a toll, but we are going to find a way to just get through it.

‘I’d rather the NFL just say the Bears bye week is Week 10 every year.”

As a former player, Moore’s position coach, Antwaan Randle El, would’ve agreed with him.

“As a player, you hated it. You wanted to be right in the middle,” Randle El said. “And as a coach, you want bye week to mean something. Meaning, it’s when your team needs it.”

OK, but did the Bears really need a bye this soon?

“It wasn’t perfect for us to have it there, but it was good for us to have it there,” Randle El conceded.

In a way, that paradox makes sense for the Bears. On the down side, they’re probably going to feel the absence of that break around late November. On the other hand, the bye’s timing benefits the Bears in several ways.

For one, it gave players a chance to mentally reset.

“Get away from football for a little bit,” rookie tight end Colston Loveland said. “Do what you got to do. We have 13 weeks left or however many weeks of straight ball. I think everybody is in good spirits, everyone is in the right mindset.”

Caleb Williams received mental rest and physical treatment without the “ground and pound on the grass” while also getting back to Halas Hall a couple of days early and staying for a few hours to get in the right mindset for the long stretch run.

“Last year I wasn’t as good at that,” he said.

Another plus: The roster is getting healthier.

Defensive back Kyler Gordon missed the first four games with a hamstring injury, but he was a full participant in practice Saturday and will make his season debut when the Bears travel to play the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football.”

Linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), who briefly played against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, also was a full participant Saturday and will play, as will safety Jaquan Brisker (quad), right tackle Darnell Wright (elbow), running back Kyle Monangai (thigh) and right guard Jonah Jackson (rib).

Kicker Cairo Santos (right thigh) and Loveland (hip) were full participants Saturday and were listed as questionable. And defensive lineman Austin Booker (knee) and running back Travis Homer (calf) were designated to return from injured reserve last week, starting his 21-day clock to be activated. Both are questionable.

The time off also has given players and staff extra time to study their deficiencies.

The lack of a running game and a pass rush immediately come to mind, but if there was a recurring theme this week, it was their struggles stopping the run.

The Bears allow the most rushing yards per game (164.5), while the Commanders produce the most rushing yards per game (156.4).

“When teams are able to run the ball effectively and get explosive runs, it’s all three levels,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said.

The Bears have allowed 19 runs of 10 yards or more, which ranks ninth-most, according to Next Gen Stats. But 10 of those runs have come in neutral situations, with the standard seven defenders in the box. Under those circumstances, they’ve given up the third-most explosive runs.

In particular, the Bears are getting beaten badly on outside-the-tackle runs, where they give up 7.9 yards per play, tied with the New York Giants for the most in the NFL.

“We just looked at it, and really we just have to do a better job of attacking and getting off of blocks,” Allen said. “Then we have to do a better job of tackling, particularly in space.”

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds repeated that mantra.

“A lot of times, the run stuff comes down to fundamentals — shedding blocks, getting off blocks and making tackles,” he said. “When we have a chance to make a negative play, make it.”

With the defense facing the dual threat of quarterback Jayden Daniels, the goal is to make him one-dimensional, Edmunds said.

“That’s always the formula,” he said. “When you’re having success running the ball, it leaves the playbook open to anything.”

And then there are the penalties.

The Bears have been tagged with 40 in four games, compared with 20 issued to their opponents.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot quite a bit,” coach Ben Johnson said. “When I look at where we were through the first four weeks, a lot of penalties. …

“So we’re playing behind the sticks, and you can certainly feel that as I was calling it. I give the guys a lot of credit. I did feel like we were pretty good at getting back on track as much as we could, but it’s just not sustainable when you’re playing football that way.”

If anyone could figure out the offense with an extra week of preparation, it would seem to be Johnson. In each of the previous two seasons with Detroit, the former Lions offensive coordinator presided over 40-point outings (47 and 41, respectively) coming out of a bye.

“I don’t know if there is any secret sauce to it, to be honest with you,” Johnson said.

As for the Bears this season, “I am pretty pleased with how they approached it. I don’t think a whole lot of them went out to Cancun and went partying or anything like that.

“I think a lot of (players) stayed local and they just wanted to get their bodies right, wanted to get sleep back in order and so they should be feeling fresh right now.”

Quarterback Case Keenum said he liked the way Johnson handled the week: “We had a couple of extra throwing sessions to make sure that we were dialed in.”

Added Johnson: “We had a couple extra route sessions, but that’s as much conditioning as it is just being on the same page, hooking up.”

The Bears don’t have a great track record in recent history. After going on a four-season winning streak of games following a bye from 2010-13, they lost 10 of the next 11 post-bye matchups.

— Week 8, 2024: Lost 18-15 at Commanders

— Week 14, 2023: Won 28-13 vs. Lions

— Week 15, 2022: Lost 25-20 vs. Eagles

— Week 11, 2021: Lost 16-13 vs. Ravens

— Week 12, 2020: Lost 41-25 at Packers

— Week 7, 2019: Lost 36-25 vs. Saints

— Week 6, 2018: Lost 31-28 (OT) at Dolphins

— Week 10, 2017: Lost 23-16 vs. Packers

— Week 10, 2016: Lost 36-10 at Buccaneers

— Week 8, 2015: Lost 23-20 vs. Vikings

— Week 10, 2014: Lost 55-14 at Packers

Since bye weeks became a permanent fixture in 1990, the Bears are 18-18 all time the next week; Mike Ditka has the best record at 3-0, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

But the greatest of all time is Andy Reid, the former Philadelphia Eagles and current Kansas City Chiefs coach. Reid’s 22-4 record gives him a .846 winning percentage, best among qualifiers, per Elias.

Bears defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon played for Reid’s Chiefs for four seasons from 2017-20, and he has been privy to Reid’s bye-side manner.

“I don’t know if it’s any secret, but kind of letting guys reset and refocus,” Kpassagnon said. “This bye week (for the Bears) came super early. I think it’s the earliest I’ve ever had a bye week, but still just being able to get away from it for a little bit, then attacking it when you get back. I think that’s important.

“We did that in Kansas City too. Players definitely appreciate it.”

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