The Chicago Bears face a critical Week 7 game against the New England Patriots, but they will have to do it without one of their top offensive players, running back Kyle Monangai, for the third straight week.
Over the last three weeks, Monangai has been dealing with a thumb and toe injury, but it's the toe that has been the bigger problem. At one point, he was in a walking boot, but the hope is that this will be the last game he misses and that he can return in Week 8.
While the Bears have been surviving without Monangai over the last two games, his absence has certainly impacted how the game plays out.
How Bears offense rolls on without Kyle Monangai in Week 7
Monangai started the season by rushing for 324 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He was in the top 10 in the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. His 5.4 yards per carry is ranked fourth in the NFL.
Since Monangai has been out for the Bears, the rushing attack has certainly taken a massive dip for the team. They have not rushed for over 100 yards in a game yet, as they went for 81 yards against the Green Bay Packers and 98 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. That's an average of 89.5 yards per game.
The Bears have had to deal with D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson over the last two games. Swift has hit a rough patch in his play, as he has not been efficient at all when running the ball. The terrible truth is that Johnson has actually been the hotter hand on the ground that Swift has.
One thing that has hurt the running game of late is the lack of running at the quarterback position. Caleb Williams ran for over 100 yards in his first two games of the season. Since his return from the hamstring injury, he only ran for three yards on four carries.
The real question in this game is if Williams' hamstring is feeling better, would he be winning the run the football more? He got considerably faster in the offseason, as he lost weight and looked great in the first two weeks of the season.
While it has been good to see Johnson step up for the Bears, they need Swift to be able to create the explosive plays he's been so good at doing over the past two seasons. Swift was showing that earlier in the season, but his recent fumbling issues seem to have affected his confidence in carrying the ball.
Read more: 5 bold Bears predictions before facing the Patriots in Week 7 action
New England has one of the best run defenses in the NFL, allowing just 91.8 yards per game, which is ranked ninth in the league. The Bears know they have a challenge without Monangai, but they really need Swift, Johnson, and Williams to step up and pick up more yards on the ground for this offense to be successful.
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