Bears' run game could come alive against 49ers
When it comes to running the football, the Chicago Bears have been consistently mediocre.
After rolling up 189 yards on the ground against the Green Bay Packers on opening day, the Bears have been held under 110 yards in 10 of 11 games. They are a respectable 16th in rushing yards per game (110.7), but rank just 25th in average gain per run (3.8 yards).
In other words, it's an area with tremendous growth potential, and this could be the week.
Sunday's opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, are, at least statistically, poor across the board on defense.
The Bears' offensive line should see the benefits of continuity. After weeks of shuffling healthy bodies in and out of the lineup, the O-line is expected to start the same five for the third straight game. That's if no one gets hurt in practice Friday or Saturday, which is not exactly a slam dunk this year.
The Bears' run game has been moving at slightly better than a jog for much of the season. But offensive right tackle Kyle Long, the only lineman to start every game at the same position, has the solution.
"Blocking the defensive line, and the linebackers, and sometimes blocking the safety," Long cracked. But seriously, folks, the two-time Pro Bowl guard thinks the Bears are close, which he admits is the mantra of many O-lines looking for improvement. "You look at the film, and it's a missed block here or an assignment here, or something as small as putting my hat here as opposed to putting it here," Long said, indicating two spots inches apart. "That's across the board. If you get all the guys doing the right thing, it's all rainbows."
The Bears have plenty of manpower when it comes to carrying the ball. Starter Matt Forte is fully recovered from the sprained knee that sidelined him for three weeks before he returned for the Packers game. Rookie Jeremy Langford got some valuable experience in Forte's absence, and Ka'Deem Carey has completed the concussion protocol after missing one game.
In Green Bay, Forte got 15 carries, while Langford got 12, and that could be a typical split going forward.
"I wish we could get more plays in a game, so both those guys could get more touches," offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. "Both of those guys splitting the load like that, we can keep them fresh and ... we should only get better from here on out and those guys will get in the flow of it. You don't want to have three-and-outs where they're kind of in and out. You want to try to give them a little rhythm and you need to have an 8-to-12-play drive for that to happen."
In defense of the Bears' run game, three of their past five opponents (Packers, Broncos and Vikings) have defenses ranked in the top six in fewest points allowed, although only the Broncos have an elite run defense. Three weeks ago, the Bears ran for 153 yards against a talented Rams defense, even without Forte.
"I feel like we're making strides," Gase said. "We just need to have one of those breakout games where we can look at that stat sheet and say, 'We really did have 130 yards rushing on so many attempts and our yards per carry were this, and our efficiency (was good).'
"We're looking for that game. We're working toward that, and hopefully we'll hit it eventually."
"Eventually" could be Sunday at Soldier Field. The 49ers' rebuilt defense is 25th in rushing yards allowed and 18th in average gain allowed per run. Two weeks ago the Niners were gouged for 255 rushing yards by the Seahawks, and two weeks before that, the Rams got 197 yards on the ground.
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