Chicago Bears run game finally comes to life
After a long week of criticism, the Chicago Bears run game finally came to life in Sunday’s 24-18 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. After amassing just 218 yards and 3 yards per carry over the first three weeks of the season, the Bears ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. D’Andre Swift led the Bears’ backfield, rushing 16 times for 93 yards and a touchdown, good for an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
Swift’s key run came in the 4th quarter when he took a handoff up the middle and broke free for a 36-yard touchdown. The play was made possible by an excellent block made by tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet took out Rams’ linebacker Michael Hoecht, allowing Swift to hurdle over him and find plenty of room to run from there.
.@DAndreSwift breaks free for a 36 yd TD!
📺: #LARvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/GneMI2LP2i
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 29, 2024
Showing his dual-threat ability, Swift also added seven receptions for 72 yards, leading the Bears in receiving. Swift really excelled when he was running between the tackles. In fact, 53 of his 93 yards came on inside runs where he averaged 7.6 yards per carry, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Coming into this game Swift had 37 rushes for 68 yards, averaging an abysmal 1.8 yards per carry. You can see why this performance brought a huge sigh of relief to Bears fans.
Fellow running back Roschon Johnson also made an impact with a key goal line touchdown near the end of the first half. Johnson, who was expected to get an extended look at running back this week, handled some of the key 3rd down runs in the second half, powering his way to 26 yards on seven carries.
He also took the only goal line carry for the Bears, even after offensive coordinator Shane Waldron stated this week that running back Khalil Herbert was the short yardage and goal line back going forward. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Bears fans since the coaching staff hasn’t been consistent in their plans up until this point.
This was a game where the Bears run game desperately needed a breakthrough. After totaling just 63 yards last week against a poor Colts run defense, the offensive line and coaching staff really took it in the teeth all week. Waldron had some truly awful play calls a week ago, but was much better this week.
The same can be said about the offensive line, who opened up some big holes for Swift in this game. While they can still be better and more consistent, this was a step forward. Not only did the Bears have their highest time of possession (28:58) of the season, they also executed an impressive 14-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a Caleb Williams touchdown pass.
The Bears run game took some huge steps forward in this game. Hopefully they can build on this in the coming weeks with the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars on the schedule next. The improvement of the ground attack will also help Caleb Williams, who will benefit from play-action when defenses actually fear the Bears’ running game. After a rough week of discouragement, the Bears offered us some hope in this victory.
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