One of the most underrated aspects of the Chicago Bears' unexpected success this season has been the production of the rushing attack. The Kyle Monangai-D'Andre Swift one-two punch exceeded all expectations to make the Bears one of the most lethal rushing offenses in the league. Averaging 4.9 yards per carry, Chicago ranked as the third-best running team, on the back of Swift and Monangai.
Understandably, the rushing attack was less effective in the playoffs, totaling only 93 yards against the Packers last week. This was the second-fewest rushing total the Bears had since Week 8, and the fewest was the regular-season finale against the Lions. Part of the reason why this is the case is the recent struggles of Kyle Monangai.
Bears Should Give the Ball to D'Andre Swift More vs. Rams on Sunday
Even though the seventh-round selection has been one of the biggest steals of the draft, the talented rusher has slowed down over the last few weeks. Monangai hasn't run for more than 50 yards in his past five games, while averaging just 3.8 yards per carry during that span. He also hasn't scored since the Week 13 win over the Eagles, the last time Monangai looked like his dynamic, bruising self. Now, he will be going against a Rams defense that has allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than any team in the league this season.
That is why the Bears would be wise to consider shifting the workload of Monangai and Swift against the Rams. Two rushers have been virtually splitting snaps and carries in recent weeks, but Chicago should put more on the veteran's plate on Sunday.
Not only has Swift been performing better recently, as demonstrated by his five TDs in five games, but the 27-year-old generally plays better the larger his role is. His scalability has been impressive all season as he has run over 90 yards in five of the seven games in which he has had 14 or more carries. The two games in which he averaged the most yards per carry this season (Week 6 against Washington and Week 13 against Philly) both came when he had 14 or more carries.
Monangai will surely play a role on Sunday, but after playing 36 snaps against the Packers, he could benefit from a small reduction in snap share. Obviously, the in-game dynamics and the score will dictate how much Ben Johnson will utilize each offensive playmaker, but the plan should be to give Swift as much as he can handle in the most important game for the franchise in years.