Chicago Bears try to end multiple losing streaks in Week 17 vs Lions

Get the running game back on track

One of the biggest positives of the Chicago Bears has been the running game. They lead the league in rushing yards and are sixth in rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Fields leads the way, rushing for 1,011 yards and 8 touchdowns.

For most of the season, the Bears have had a three-headed monster in Fields, David Montgomery, and Khalil Herbert. Herbert, however, missed four games when he went on injured reserve.

Herbert returned last week but he had a rough time. He had just 7 yards on 6 carries. The weather was horrible and the Buffalo Bills’ defense was too quick for him to have a better game.

The entire running game was shut down last week. The Bills held the Bears’ vaulted running game to just 80 yards, only nine of them in the second half.

Only Montgomery had a good game last week. He had 84 total yards from scrimmage. He is putting together a nice audition tape for other teams to see when he becomes a free agent after the season.

Fields was held to just 11 yards rushing. The Bills did a good job of staying home and not biting on his moves. Fields was not able to find any holes to break through and make big plays.

Hopefully, what happened last week was just a blip. In order for the offense to move and score points, the running game has to be on point. If the Lions are too concerned with the running game, then Fields can hit on some big passes.

The Lions really struggle against the run. They rank 28th in rushing yards allowed and 31st in rushing touchdowns allowed. They do a good job of hurrying the quarterback, though. They rank second in hurries percentage (9.7 percent). That means they could force Fields to move around. that will raise the possibility of him making big runs. He had 147 rushing yards in the first matchup, including a beautiful 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The Bears had 258 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in the first meeting. That has to happen again. The Bears have the best rushing attack and they have to show it this week.