Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 6 Keys to Victory:
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Ride the Howard train to victory
It’s far too early to crown Jordan Howard as the next franchise back for the Chicago Bears. Classifying Howard amongst the all time greats like Forte and Payton will take years, not games. What is clear though is that he is the heart and soul of the Bears’ offense.
After 51 career carries, Howard has amassed 296 yards which averages out to 5.8 yards per carry (TPC). For many running backs, the YPC is often deceiving because one explosive play accounts for the vast majority of the player’s yards. However, Howard’s YPC sing a far different tune . Despite blasting through the Colts’ defense for a 57 yard carry last Sunday, Howard would still have managed over 4 yards a carry with his 57 harder removed. His ability to continually keep Chicago’s offense on schedule is an extremely underrated aspect of his game.
Speaking of staying on schedule, the Bears only had one three and out last week. Winning the time of possession battle will be especially critical today with Jacksonville’s explosive offense coming to town. Howard’s running isn’t just a key for offensive success, but defensive as well. Howard needs to top 100 yards in the running game and average 4.5 YPC for the Bears to snag this key.