The Chicago Bears just narrowly avoided an embarrassing finish for Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bears uncharacteristically took their foot off of the gas, despite the fact that they came out of the gate swinging. This was undoubtedly because of the short week the Bears are looking at, given that they move on to play the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Roschon Johnson stepped up against the Falcons in the absence of Kyle Monangai behind D'Andre Swift, and Swift happened to be one of the starters that coach Johnson elected to sit. This means that when the Bears were in the latter half of the game, and they intended to run out the clock, Johnson got the call.
When the call came, Johnson answered
Across 13 carries, Johnson put together 51 total yards and a touchdown, his first since November of 2024. He even had a chance to score an additional touchdown on the final play of the game, but like a true team player, he sat down short to run the clock out, securing the victory for the Bears. Johnson even managed to net more yards than Swift did before he sat.
The only black spot on the day for Johnson was a late fumble that enabled the Falcons to mount their fourth quarter comeback attempt. It was the only turnover of the day for the Bears.
The Bears have been operating the running back duo system that coach Johnson favors, but for how long does Roschon have a spot there?
Monangai's timeline is uncertain at the moment, but he was listed as a non participant in the Bears virtual walkthrough on Monday. While this is only an estimation, that does not bode well for a potential Monangai return.
If it comes down to it and Monangai is still not present for Thursday Night's game, Johnson will once again be called upon. Though he may have built some more trust with the offense, that untimely fumble wasn't exactly what the doctor ordered.
It's likely that Swift will take the bulk of the workload on Thursday, but as we've seen before, this system thrives when there's two active running backs to prop the whole thing up. This means that Johnson will need to bring his A-game if he wishes to carve himself a spot on an NFL roster next season.
Thursday will tell us more about Johnson than Sunday did, because now there is a game plan with his role written into it. Protect Williams, move the chains on a short week, and hold onto the football, and a temporary opening starts looking permanent.
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