Chicago Bears: Five players who need to dominate vs Packers

Khalil Herbert must step up for the Chicago Bears with Damien Williams now out

In his first real game action against the Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back, Khalil Herbert looked the part. With 18 carries he had 75 rushing yards and led the team in carries. Whether the team felt comfortable with its lead and wanted to see Herbert, or they just had enough confidence in him the team got the chance to see something.

This week Herbert will likely be the team’s workhorse back against the Packers after Damien Williams was placed on the COVID-19 reserved list this past Thursday. Herbert will likely see his first career against the team’s biggest rival and will be called upon often.

Herbert, and likely Ryan Nall, will have to be the team’s main backs against a defense that plays the run better than the pass in 2021. With a rookie quarterback in Justin Fields, it’s more than likely Herbert sees 20+ touches on Sunday, continuing a theme of a run-heavy offense that the Bears have deployed all year long.

If Herbert can replicate his production from last week, along with adding some of Williams’, then the team should have no issue with the run game. The biggest fear should be falling behind in the game and completely abandoning the run in order to get back in the game.

It remains to be seen if Fields is capable of commanding the air game in a dominant fashion, so the team should hope they can rely heavily on Herbert to put up solid numbers on the ground and help his fellow rookie teammate.