The Chicago Bears host the New York Giants in an NFC contest in Week 10 and seek to improve to 6-3 on the season. In the win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, the Bears leaned on rookie running back Kyle Monangai as fellow running back D'Andre Swift was out with a groin injury,. But it looks like the Bears may have to rely on Monangai once again when the Giants come to town.
After being a full participant on Thursday, Swift was downgraded to DNP on Friday due to a personal issue. Chicago now lists Swift as questionable for Week 10, which could allow Monangai to continue his breakout.
Bears May Lean on Kyle Monangai with D’Andre Swift Questionable
With no clear indication of whether Swift will be available, Monangai could be in line for another week on a heavy workload. In his first start against the Bengals, the Rutgers product finished with 176 rushing yards (6.8 yards per carry) and 22 receiving yards.
Monangai has seen his playing time increase over the last three weeks, and with how he produced in Week 9, the Bears will use him. And when head coach Ben Johnson spoke to the media on Friday, he revealed that the Bears plan to lean on who is playing better at the moment.
Johnson stated, "I believe in a guy having the hot hand," Johnson stated per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "One guy, if he’s feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer,"
None of this bodes well for Swift being the de facto RB1. It isn't a shocker that Johnson wants to have a running back committee, as that's what he did with the Detroit Lions, trotting Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
Having a 1-2 punch in the backfield only helps the offense and takes away pressure from the passing attack. It'll be interesting to see if Swift does play and how the breakdown will go among the two backs. Entering this game, Swift leads the team in carries (100), rushing yards (464), and rushing touchdowns (4).
Even before he went down, Swift had more than 100 rushing yards in two of his last three games. He has shown the ability to produce in this scheme, but he isn't Johnson's guy, meaning it wasn't Johnson who gave him that three-year, $24 million deal.
Meanwhile, Monangai was selected in Johnson's first draft, and based on how he played in Week 9, he may be in line for a bigger role. Especially if Swift can't play.