Bears Must Deliver in These 3 Key Areas to Ensure Week 5 Victory

2. Continue running the ball

Last week, the Bears run game finally came alive. D'Andre Swift had 16 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Roschon Johnson had seven carries for 26 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears' success on the ground last week might have been because they were running more downhill (gap/power scheme) runs. According to Lorin Cox of the Locked on Bears Podcast, the Bears ran 13 gap/power runs and 11 zone/outside runs.

Although the Bears' most successful run still came in a zone running play, committing to gap/power runs might have helped build the offensive line's confidence. Along with being a confidence booster, that style of running also wears down a defense more, which helps make run plays more successful.

The Panthers are yet another good matchup to continue building confidence in the running game. Through four weeks, the Panthers have given up an average of 148.8 rushing yards per game. This has led to them allowing 495 total rushing yards while giving up 4.6 yards per carry.

Even though Carolina has struggled to stop the run, it doesn't automatically mean the Bears will be productive on the ground. That was seen when they played the Indianapolis Colts, who at that point had the worst rush defense in the NFL and the Bears still couldn't get anything going. To avoid another disappointment like that, Chicago should stick to their running game plan from last week.