Langford will start in place of Forte for Chicago Bears

Rookie running back Jeremy Langford is expected to get his first start as a Bear when he replaces injured Matt Forte (knee) against the Chargers on Monday Night Football.

"I'm very excited," the fourth-round pick (106th overall) said. "At the same time, I've got to relax and take it one day at a time, especially because it's on Monday Night Football, and just take advantage of the opportunities."

The Bears aren't required to provide statuses for injured players until 4 p.m. Saturday, but Forte hasn't practiced all week and will probably miss one more game.

Fortunately for the Bears, Langford has already earned his teammates' trust.

"We have no choice," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "Matt is not coming back. Not this game anyway, I don't think. We're going to have to work with the young kid, and he makes it easy. His work and his preparation ... you develop trust pretty quickly just because of the way he holds himself to a certain standard each day in practice."

Forte's misfortune gives Langford his first chance as the Bears' featured back, a role he played the previous two years for Michigan State.

"Whenever I get a chance to carry the ball - whether it's 1 carry or 10 carries - I try to make the best out of each opportunity," said Langford, who rushed for 2,944 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, the past two seasons for the Spartans. "Every time I'm on the field is an audition for me."

In his most extended playing time of the season last week after Forte's third-quarter injury, the 6-foot, 208-pound Langford rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries.

"He did a good job," offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. "It's easy to sit back and go through everything with your coach in a meeting. But once you get thrown out there, and the bullets are live, it's a different animal.

"He handled it well. He hit the holes about as hard as you can hit it, and that's how he's going to be. He's going to be downhill, he's going to hit it hard and he's going to fight for every inch. He did a good job of what we asked him to do."

Right up until he dropped a pass that would have given the Bears a first down on their final possession with 1:10 left in a 20-20 game that they lost 23-20.

Cutler said the drop was uncharacteristic, and he told the rookie to move past it.

"That probably won't happen again for a long time," Cutler said. "He's very sure-handed. He's very comfortable catching the ball. I know he was disappointed. He wants to make plays for us. He wants the ball.

"I told him that didn't win or lose the game. We had many opportunities to do both. You have to move on. He's got a big challenge in front of him this week. We're going to feature him in a lot of different ways, and he's going to have to make plays for us."

Langford admits it took him a while to get over the dropped pass, and he appreciated the pep talk from Cutler.

"When Cutler came up to me and said, 'That wasn't the play that lost the game,' it helped me out a little bit," the 23-year-old Langford said. "Now they need me to be the starter, so I can't think about that drop anymore."

Even with Forte, the Bears' run game has been below average, getting just 3.9 yards per carry. But in San Diego, Langford and the Bears will face a Chargers run defense that is among the league's worst. The Chargers are surrendering a dead-last 5.0 yards per run, and they're 27th in rushing yards allowed, an average of 124.6 yards per game.

Inury report:

In addition to Matt Forte, three other Bears did not practice: linebacker Pernell McPhee (knee), center Hroniss Grasu (neck) and wide receiver Eddie Royal (knee).

Six players were limited: linebackers Shea McClellin (knee) and LaRoy Reynolds (knee), cornerback Bryce Callahan (concussion), offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod (shoulder), wide receiver Cam Meredith (ankle) and tight end Zach Miller (shoulder).

For the Chargers, five starters did not practice: offensive linemen King Dunlap and Orlando Franklin, tight end Ladarius Green, defensive tackle Corey Liuget and linebacker Manti Te'o.

Four other starters were limited: cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers, safety Eric Weddle and tight end Antonio Gates.

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