Bear Digest

Ground and pound can be ideal Bears answer to Browns and Myles Garrett

The two-headed rushing attack of Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift has rolled along and there are reasons to think it's exactly what the Bears will need on Sunday.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kyle Monangai powers off tackle against the Packers. The two-back attack being used by the Bears has averaged 175 yards over the last nine games.
Kyle Monangai powers off tackle against the Packers. The two-back attack being used by the Bears has averaged 175 yards over the last nine games. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The frozen weather and Cleveland Browns arrive just in time for the Bears, in a sense

At least this is true for the offense and the two-headed monster that has become the Chicago running game. They've tracked the Week 5 bye week as a turning point for their running game and since then have averaged 175 rushing yards per game.

Both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are averaging 4.8 yards per run. They even ran for 138 against the Packers, 19 more than the total gained by coach Ben Johnson's former team, the Lions.

"I feel like that's our personality as a team," Swift said. "Physically tough."

Their rough, smash-mouth style of running game, with even wide receivers and tight ends maintaining blocks, has helped establish their reputation as a running threat.

"I think that's what (Ben Johnson) told us in the offseason, OTAs, this is what we need to pride ourselves on," tight end Colston Loveland said. "This needs to be our identity.

"So it's cool to kind of see it come to life. Still a lot to improve in the run game, though."

The reason they could lean on it just as heavily this week is the Browns' dominant defense looks to be a little more vulnerable trying to stop the run than rushing the passer.  It’s not as easy for Myles Garrett to tee off on the pass rush in pursuit of the NFL sacks record when he also has to worry about a strong Bears ground game.

Also, the Browns have been gashed a few times recently. The last time was Sunday by Tennessee, of all teams.

Tennessee had been next to last in the league, averaging 76 yards per game, and Tony Pollard hadn't run for more than 67 on the ground since Week 2 but tore up Cleveland for 161 yards on 25 carries.

The Titans don't run the same style offense as the Bears so they have to hope this isn't lost in the translation, so to speak.

“I think that really it goes back to their fundamental stuff shows up," offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. "We want to try to spin it to us.

"I think what's going to make us successful being able to run the football is to play with great pad level, understand where we're going and the targeting. Which becomes a little bit easier this week in that you kind of know where they're going to be and yet it's a challenge because they're a really good defense."

The Packers had more presnap movement and deployed Micah Parsons in numerous spots, making run blocking more difficult last week. The Bears realize it's still not going to be easy simply because one team gashed the Browns. Cleveland comes in 13th against the run.

"They got great players all around, especially 95 (Myles Garrett)," Swift said. "He's been doing it at a high level for a long time. They've got a great group, but not even just the front. The back end has been playing real good--linebackers, their rookie over there (LB Carson Schwesinger) is playing a high level of ball."

The other reason it could be just the time for running the ball is the arctic weather expected to hit this weekend. Bears receivers had a tough enough time holding onto the ball against the Giants earlier when it wasn't as cold. Expecting them to do it with frozen fingers seems unrealistic.

"We have to go back to focusing on what makes us, us," Doyle said. "What we want to show up in the run game.

"That's the O-line, that's the tight ends, that's the backs and then that's us blocking the perimeter.”

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.