Kyle Monangai being ruled out of Bears-Packers raises the stakes for D'Andre Swift

The Chicago Bears will not have running back Kyle Monangai in their Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers, which means D'Andre Swift will have plenty of opportunities.

Monangai has been dealing with a thumb and toe injury all week. The thumb wasn't a problem this week, but the toe is the bigger issue.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Monangai would miss the game and was in a boot. Monangai is considered week-to-week with the toe injury, leaving Swift to fill the running back role.

D'Andre Swift takes over as the main running back for the Bears against the Packers

Swift is entering the week with a lot of pressure on him after having his second fumble in three weeks in the 23-12 Week 4 win over the New York Jets. After that fumble, he was benched for the rest of the game.

This week, practice with Swift has focused on ball control and avoiding fumbles. He talked about the Week 4 fumble reporters mentioned earlier in the week and was honest about it.

"That ain't me," Swift said via ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin.

"I wasn't really told anything, but I do understand that can't happen. So I take whatever comes with that. You know what I mean? I can't put the ball on the ground. I'm putting the team and everybody else [down]. I can't do that. I know that."

It's been a good season for Swift, despite early-season fumbling issues. He is ninth in the NFL in rushing yards with 311 and tied for 10th in touchdowns with three. Swift is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

The good news is that the Packers' defense is ranked 28th in rush defense, allowing 139.3 yards per carry. Their front-seven has been slammed with injuries, including Micah Parsons and Edgerrin Cooper.

Filling in for Monangai will be Roschon Johnson. Despite being a former Bears draft pick, Johnson has not lived up to expectations of being a great back. His biggest strength, though, is that he is a power back that can do a lot of the same things Monangai can do.

Swift is going to be the featured back, as this number one rush offense will be all on him. The Bears are averaging 196.3 rushing yards per game, which is 15.3 yards more than the second place team in the Atlanta Falcons.

Swift and this Bears running game are so good because Swift has the speed, while Monangai has the power. Johnson can handle Monangai's workload if needed, but the Bears paid Swift $32 million for a three-year contract extension, so they want to see more of him.

Last year against the Packers, he was decent in the two regular season matchups, averaging at least 4.5 yards per carry in both games. He rushed for 121 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry against Green Bay.

Read more: Tyson Bagent can't afford to mess around with Packers' pass defense in Week 5

Swift needs a bounce-back game more than anyone on the Bears' roster. If he can step up and help lead the Bears to a win without losing the production on the ground, it will go a long way toward getting back in Ben Johnson's good graces.

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