Ben Johnson's offense was built around two running backs from the start. In Detroit, he paired David Montgomery with Jahmyr Gibbs to create the famous Sonic and Knuckles combo, and now in Chicago, he's put together the same structure with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. For the past month, it's been a one-man show.
Monangai hasn't played since he carried the ball 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets back in Week 4. He's simultaneously been dealing with a thumb and a turf-toe injury that's kept him on the sidelines. Since then, Swift's job has only grown.
Swift handled 26 touches and played 86 percent of snaps against New England during Week 7's Thursday night matchup, his heaviest workload of the season. He's also posted touchdowns in each of the last three games.
Roschon Johnson has stepped up as the third running back on the depth chart, but he just doesn't show the same fire that Monangai does. It still works, and Johnson's an able back that can come in to take snaps and get Swift some rest, but it doesn't have the same vigor when Monangai isn't there.
The Bears recently signed Zavier Scott to the practice squad and then immediately promoted him to the active roster, but he's only there for additional and potentially emergency depth.
In essence, there is no rotation right now. There's only Swift, and everyone else watching.
The Bears still own the league's best rushing attack
Despite all of this, the Bears still boast the best rushing game in the NFL, and it's not particularly close. To date, the Bears have 246 rushing attempts, posting 1,080 yards, averaging 154.3 yards per game. The next closest is the Baltimore Ravens, with 212 carries, but their numbers aren't nearly as good. The Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the next closest when it comes to average per game, with 148.8, and 146.4, respectively.
Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks isn't a great time to be short-handed in that area, as the Seahawks have one of the best run protection fronts in the game. To date, the Seahawks have only allowed 625 yards on the ground, averaging only 89.4 yards per game.
Ben Johnson's offense is designed to wear defenses down by alternating fresh runners throughout. No matter how you look at it, one guy alone cannot wear an entire defense down alone. And unfortunately, the proof is in the pudding.
Look at the Seahawks' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. They held Kenneth Walker III, one of the most talented running backs in football to only 36 yards on 14 carries. This is the same guy who has posted four different 100+ yard games, with two of them flirting with 200.
If the Bears can successfully get their run game going, they have a good shot at taking down the reigning Super Bowl champions in their own house.
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