The Chicago Bears pulled off a nice 23-12 statement win over the New York Jets in Week 4, but it was a brutal reality check for running back D'Andre Swift, who caught a lot of attention.
In the third quarter, Swift had a bad fumble in the game, which was recovered by the Jets. After that, though, Swift did not return to the contest, and Roschon Johnson replaced him, getting the bulk of the carries. Swift finished with 58 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards in the win.
After the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson denied that Swift was benched for the fumble, but fans know better. This was a message to his running back to stop making costly mistakes and wake up.
D'Andre Swift will be better from the Bears benching in Week 4
Many people thought that since Swift was dealing with a knee injury going into the game, he might have been benched because of it. Well, Johnson mentioned nothing about that, and the timing of Swift being benched was just interesting.
Swift is starting to have a bit of a fumbling problem early in the season. This was his second fumble in the last two weeks, after he also fumbled in the 9-3 Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The crazy part is that Swift is having a great season and is on pace to post career numbers. He is either tied or alone in eighth place in three different rushing categories: carries (69), yards (311), and touchdowns (three).
Those numbers suggest a guy who is struggling, but the Bears can't afford to have him fumble all the time, either. Without Caleb Williams at quarterback for now, that only makes things harder when the reliable veteran in the backfield drops the ball. Swift has to do his part and carry the offense through this time.
Luckily for Swift, Monangai picked up the slack and kept the Bears' rushing attack moving. The second-year back finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns in the win over New York.
That's also not great news for Swift, as he is trying to maintain his spot as the top back after signing his $32 million contract extension before the season. This could mean Monangai gets more carries and playing time moving forward, which is a dream scenario for Johnson but not for Swift.
Read more: Grading Tyson Bagent's fascinating performance in Bears Week 4 win
If Swift wants to maintain his job and keep Monangai from taking his spot, he needs to step up and avoid these fumbling issues. This benching could end up being a good thing for Swift and help him get things back on track.
Add us as a preferred source on Google