The Chicago Bears have a quarterback problem, but the easiest fix might be sitting in the backfield.
After putting up 59 points against the Carolina Panthers, Chicago crashed all the way down to three against the Minnesota Vikings. Now Caleb Williams is dealing with a hamstring injury, Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol, and Ben Johnson has to keep the offense afloat somehow. That makes the running game more important than ever, and Kyle Monangai has made a strong case for a larger slice of it.
Monangai didn’t vanish in Minnesota. He turned 10 carries into 47 yards, good for 4.7 yards per attempt.
D’Andre Swift needed 16 carries to get to 45 yards. That gap matters even more because Swift also lost a costly third-quarter fumble near the Vikings’ goal line.
Chicago was down 6-3 and had a chance to seize control of a game where points were already hard to find. Instead, Minnesota came up with the recovery.
Nobody is talking about benching Swift because of one rough game. A week earlier, he ripped off 124 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina. But if Monangai is doing more with fewer touches, forcing the issue with Swift doesn’t help the Bears nearly as much as it helps the defense lining up across from them.
Johnson has two backs who can produce. The simple move is to use them according to what’s working.
That’s especially true after what Chicago showed in the opener. The Bears ran for 291 yards against Carolina, and Monangai was a big part of it with 100 yards and a touchdown. Then one week later, the offense that looked unstoppable couldn’t reach the end zone at all.
Minnesota did its part to throw Johnson off rhythm, but Chicago also made things harder on itself. The Bears’ most effective runner against the Vikings got six fewer carries than Swift. That doesn’t guarantee a different result if Monangai gets more work, but it does point to a clearer path: keep feeding the runner who is giving the offense the best chance to stay on schedule.
With Williams’ status uncertain, that approach becomes even more important. If Bagent has to go, or if Case Keenum ends up in that spot, asking either one to win with the passing game against Philadelphia’s defense is not exactly the ideal script.
The Bears already have proof their ground game can bother the Eagles. Swift and Monangai both went over 100 rushing yards against Philadelphia last November.
Chicago doesn’t need a makeover before Monday night. It just needs to pay attention to what’s already working and lean into it.
In Other News...
Bears Offensive Problem Just Got Harder For Ben Johnson To Ignore
The Bears offense was already in a tough spot before Caleb Williams left Sundays 9-3 loss to the Vikings with a hamstring injury. Chicago moved the ball better than Minnesota in total yards, but it never turned that into a touchdown, and the day turned into another reminder that sustaining drives and finishing possessions are still very much a problem. Williams went 15 of 26 for 138 yards with an interception before exiting, and the lack of rhythm around him made the entire unit look stuck in place.
Now Ben Johnson has a bigger question hanging over a team that already needed answers. The Bears are set to face the Eagles next, and if Williams cannot go, the offense will have to be reshaped on the fly while also trying to fix the same issues that showed up against Minnesota. For a staff looking for signs of progress, the timing could hardly be worse. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Fans Got One Bit Of Relief After A Brutal Week
The week did not get any kinder for the Bears after their loss to the Vikings, especially with the Caleb Williams injury situation now hanging over everything as Chicago looks ahead. At 1-2, the margin for error is already thin, and the next stretch only gets more important if the rookie quarterbacks availability remains in question.
Green Bay, however, gave Bears fans a small dose of comfort on Sunday by taking a 35-14 beating from the Falcons. Jordan Love never settled in, and the Packers defense had no answer for Bijan Robinson, offering Chicago at least a reminder that the NFC North race is still very much unsettled even as the Bears sort through their own concerns. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Head Into Monday Night With A QB Problem Nobody Wanted
The Bears are heading into Monday night with the kind of quarterback uncertainty nobody in the building wanted this early in the season. Ben Johnson said all three quarterbacks on the roster have a chance to play in Week 3, which leaves Chicago waiting on Caleb Williams as he deals with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent as he works through concussion protocol.
If both of those situations keep him out, Case Keenum is lined up to start, with Miller Moss positioned as the fourth-string option and an emergency backup. It is an uneasy place for a team trying to settle into a new rhythm under Johnson, especially with the spotlight of Monday Night Football waiting and no clear answer yet on who will take the first snap. [Read more 🡒]