Chicago Bears: Key players who must step up for Week 3 win vs. Falcons

4. David Montgomery must continue to play well

Running back David Montgomery struggled to gain yards in his rookie season last year. With the offensive line deficiencies, it seemed like every time he touched the ball there were several players on top of him.

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Despite that, he gained 1,074 yards from scrimmage. That isn’t bad considering how bad the offensive line played.

This season the offensive line is much improved. We can see it in how much time quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has in protection. It is also evident in how much more space Montgomery has in his runs. He was a beast on that last drive when he gained big chunks of yards, chewing up clock in the process. It was a great thing to see for him and for the offensive line.

Montgomery is on track to gain 1,168 rushing yards. He had 889 yards on the ground in 2019. In addition, he is on pace to gain 440 receiving yards. That is certainly a step up from the 185 yards he had in 2019.

Though the Falcons rank ninth in rushing yards allowed, they rank 31st in rushing touchdowns allowed. That means once the Bears get inside the red zone and get close to the goal line Montgomery should see the ball and get some scores.

If Trubisky and his receivers make big pass plays, look for Montgomery to finish the drives with touchdowns.

Prediction: Montgomery finishes with 93 rushing yards, 43 receiving yards, 2 rushing touchdowns