It says a lot about how much coach Ben Johnson elevated the Bears’ rushing attack that they’re in a three-week slump and still rank first in the NFL.
They’ve mostly gotten by regardless, thanks to quarterback Caleb Williams coming in hot off his injury, but they can’t count on that Monday when they visit the defending champion Seahawks. Every part of the offense needs to click to have a chance against that defense.
The Seahawks are elite at all three levels of their defense and are No. 6 against the run. They just held the Chiefs to a season-low 50 yards rushing, and 14 of that came from Patrick Mahomes.
That puts a lot on the Bears’ offensive line and lead running back D’Andre Swift, who already is trending toward the most carries of his career.
“The front seven is one of the best in the league,” Swift said. “They play with a high level of energy and speed at all positions. We’ve got our work cut out for ourselves. That’s a great defense, but everyone here accepts that challenge.”
Swift ripped the Panthers for 124 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener, but hasn’t cracked 100 in a game since. The Bears’ 295 yards rushing against the Packers, Falcons and Patriots is their worst three-game stretch under Johnson since early last season.
The slump lines up with No. 2 running back Kyle Monangai’s absence due to a toe injury. Last time he was on the field, he rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets. In his absence, the Bears have given Roschon Johnson a tryout in that role, and this week they signed practice-squad back Zavier Scott to the active roster.
Monangai wasn’t on the field Wednesday during the portion of practice open to the media.
Nonetheless, the Bears have run for 154.3 yards per game this season, which puts them on pace for a top-10 rushing season in franchise history. That number was nearly 200 per game before the slump, and getting back to that potency is a priority.
There’s a good chance, too, that this game will be decided by whichever team runs the ball better.
It’s hard to even pick which part of the Seahawks’ defense is the strongest, but it might be their secondary. That group is good enough to keep tabs on the Bears’ skill players and frustrate Williams, so a steady run game is essential. The fewer passes the Bears leave out there for players like cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Julian Love, the better.
On the other side, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has thrown an NFL-high eight interceptions and is playing his worst football of the last three seasons, which could tilt them toward the ground game. Plus, they might be getting rookie running back Jadarian Price back.
Price, a first-round pick from Notre Dame, has been on injured reserve with a chest injury, but is eligible to return Monday. He’s been practicing, and coach Mike MacDonald said it’s possible he’ll be ready to play.
“I saw his first three games, and he’s a good a player,” Bears linebacker Devin Bush said. “He was a first-round pick for a reason, but we haven’t seen much of him, so we’ve got to respect what’s on film right now and go off of that.”
The Seahawks also could get a boost from eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson, who came aboard this week in a trade with the Colts. MacDonald was similarly noncommittal about him being up to speed to play Monday.
The flashiness of Johnson’s pass plays makes it easy to forget that he’s a run-first coach at heart, so when he says “there’s a lot more to be had” in the ground game, there’s no doubt he spent his long weekend obsessing over ways to get it rolling again, even if the next opponent is the Seahawks.