The Chicago Bears have been the NFL's best rushing offense since Week 1, but they had a rough showing against a bottom-ranked Green Bay Packers run defense in Week 5. One of the biggest reasons was the absence of running back Kyle Monangai, who was sidelined with a toe injury.
With Monangai out, the Bears went with a 1-2 punch of D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, and it's safe to say Monangai's absence had a massive impact on the run game's struggles. For the first time this season, Chicago failed to eclipse 100 rushing yards, totaling just 81 against a Packers run defense that was allowing nearly 140 rushing yards per game.
"We kind of went into the game with a little bit less in the running back room than we normally do with Monangai being
active and going," said head coach Ben Johnson, "and so [we were] looking to spread the load a little bit and didn't quite get as much out of that as we had hoped."
Swift led the way with just nine carries for 43 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and the team's lone touchdown. Roschon Johnson struggled with five carries for six yards. But the fact that Swift only had nine carries was interesting, especially as he's been dealing with an injury that had him limited in practice last week.
"He brought it (Sunday)," Johnson said of Swift. "He ran hard with the opportunities that he was given. Once again, we just couldn't quite get in a rhythm in the run game or the passing game."
Monangai reportedly suffered a turf toe injury that could sideline him for a second week, but we won't know for sure until the injury report unfolds this week. If that's the case, Chicago will face a tall order trying to get their run game going against one of the NFL's best run defenses in Atlanta.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson on impact of Bears RB Kyle Monangai's absence
