The Chicago Bears haven’t blown anyone away during their four-game win streak, but they have taken consistent steps forward that indicate sustainability with regards to how the team has captured four straight victories.
Perhaps the single most important development has been the ability of the offense to run the football effectively after starting out the season rushing in an abysmal fashion. The Bears tallied 145 yards on 27 carries (5.4 yards per attempt as a team) and a TD against the Washington Commanders in Week 6. Chicago then produced 222 yards on 40 carries (5.6 yards per haul) and two scores in a win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 19.
Starting running back D’Andre Swift had 14 rushing attempts for 108 yards to go along two catches for 67 yards and receiving TD against Washington in what was easily his best game of the season to that point. He then topped it with 19 carries for 124 yards and a TD along with one reception for 14 yards against the Saints.
Seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai, who has established himself as Chicago’s RB2, tallied 13 carries for 81 yards and a score against New Orleans as well as two catches for 13 yards in the best outing of his NFL career.
D’Andre Swift Has Created Believers Over Past 2 Games
GettyRunning back D’Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears.
Swift is now running at a 4.7-yards-per-carry clip, a vast improvement over his average through four games, and spoke to Albert Breer of SI about the evolution of the offense under new head coach Ben Johnson.
“He told us the brand of football we wanted to play,” Swift told Breeer of Johnson’s message to the team. “That’s a physical unit that does everything — the run, pass, play-action. Whatever that particular game day requires us to do to come out with the win, we’ll execute that. Situations, weather, can dictate play calls and things like that, but we want to be very balanced in everything [we] do as far as our identity. And we’ve picked up the run game the last couple weeks.”
Johnson, then an offensive coordinator, was part of a group of Detroit Lions decision-makers that traded Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 2023 campaign. The running back went on to produce a Pro-Bowl season in the NFC East and earned a three-year, $24 million deal with Chicago ahead of last season.
Several analysts speculated that Swift may not be the right fit for Johnson’s offense the second time around, either. And through the first month of the campaign that became the general consensus.
Chicago Bears Controlling Games With Offensive Physicality Over Win Streak
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
However, Swift has turned it around since, and the patience has paid off for Johnson and the Bears offense.
One example of that came on Chicago’s final drive Sunday in New Orleans. The Bears reclaimed possession of the football with a 12-point lead and a little more than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Chicago controlled the possession and game clock through the run game and sealed the victory at the score of 26-14.
“That’s mentality right there. That’s perseverance, that’s resiliency,” Swift continued in his discussion with Breer. “Everyone in the stadium knows what the teams are doing in four-minute [offense]. So to be able to finish the game with the ball in the offense’s hand, that’s what we’re trying to do. That was good to see, good to be a part of.”
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