An observation made by Chicago Bears fans during their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night was the lack of a running game.
Despite ending the game with 119 yards with an average of 4.6 yards per carry for the Bears, it was quarterback Caleb Williams who led the team in rushing yards with 58 and had the lone touchdown on the ground. Running back D'Andre Swift was the only back with a carry in the game as he rushed for 53 yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Wide receiver DJ Moore was the only other player who ran the ball with three carries for eight yards.
Another aspect that has some concerned is that backup running back Kyle Monangai played nine snaps in the game and never got a carry. He did have a reception for 11 yards in the loss.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson discussed with the media the lack of running plays being called in the Vikings' loss. Johnson knows what he needs to do to alleviate some of the offensive struggles from Monday.
"I need to call more runs," Johnson said via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "We probably were at, what, under 20 for called runs in the game. I need to call more so that we get him in the game a little bit more. That's something EB and I have talked about, making sure he has more carries going forward."
RB Kyle Monangai played 9 snaps vs. Minnesota but recorded no carries. What does Ben Johnson need to do to get the rookie involved?
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 10, 2025
Johnson: "I need to call more runs. We probably were at, what, under 20 for called runs in the game. I need to call more so that we get him in the…
Things won't get easier for the Bears as they face the Detroit Lions
If the Bears thought they would be able to run the rock against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they might be mistaken. It's only going to get tougher as the Green Bay Packers ran for 78 yards on an average of 3.1 yards per carry in their 27-13 win over the Lions.
This presents a challenge to the Bears on how to get their ground game going against a stellar front seven in Detroit. It will have to lead to Johnson getting more creative in his play-calling.
Moore has been featured often in the backfield, but it was mostly runs with him in the Vikings game. That has to change with some pass routes out of the backfield or a pass coming from Moore.
Read more: Ben Johnson says the quiet part out loud regarding Caleb Williams' accuracy
Chicago was hoping to get the ground game going against Detroit, but it won't come easily. More weight might be put on Williams' back to run for yards and move in the pocket to avoid the Lions' pass rush. It's all about Johnson outcoaching his old boss, Dan Campbell.