The 2021 season was a trying one for the Chicago Bears.
And in some cases, it was more trying than others.
Take for example Darnell Mooney. As a second-year player, Mooney had a breakout season in what was otherwise a lost season. But as it turns out, it was a breakthrough that came despite playing through injury:
Wow. It’s absolutely wild that Mooney (1) would reveal that he was hurt all year and playing through a groin injury and (2) that he was as productive as he was as a second-year player. Think about it. Mooney set career-bests in catches (81), targets (140), and receiving yards (1,055) in playing all 17 games. And he did it while hurt!? That makes it all the more impressive.
But it also puts into perspective the things you have to play through in order to make a name for yourself in the game. Don’t get me wrong. I admire Mooney’s heart to gut through playing with an injury for a bad team. But man … that’s tough to hear that he had to play through that.