After early-season snafus, Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift has been dominant inside the 5-yard line lately
A month ago, D’Andre Swift couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone.
In a Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, Swift lost a costly fumble on a carry from the 1-yard line in the third quarter. In a 9-3 loss, it proved disastrous. Then, two weeks later, Swift had two touchdowns from the 1-yard line overturned upon further review. He wound up getting benched in that Week 4 win over the Jets after fumbling in the second half.
Over a three-week stretch from Week 2 through Week 4, Swift had six opportunities from inside the 5-yard line (carries and targets) and cashed in on none of them.
In the four weeks since, while fellow back Kyle Monangai has been sidelined with a toe injury, Swift leads the NFL with 11 opportunities from inside the 5 and seven touchdowns on those opportunities, per Sharp Football Analysis.
In wins over the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks — two teams that squared off in the Super Bowl in February — the Bears converted on 100% of their goal-to-go situations.
“It’s gone up, which I think there was only one direction for it to go when you were 32nd in the league,” coach Ben Johnson said. “You get what you emphasize, and our guys know how important it is to get sevens instead of threes. It’s a credit to (Swift). It’s a credit to the guys up front as well. I feel them take it up another notch, and they want to finish around the football and look to push the pile when we get down there tight.”
Swift punched in three touchdowns against the Seahawks on Monday, his second three-touchdown game this season. He leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns.
“Shoutout to Ben for sticking with the run against a great opponent,” Swift said after Monday’s game. “(They) made it tough tonight. When we got down to the red zone, O-line, receivers did their jobs.”
On the season, Swift is second in the NFL in opportunities inside the 5-yard line with a combined 20 carries and targets. He trails only Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams, who has 21 opportunities. Swift has turned those into a league-leading nine touchdowns.
Johnson said the Seahawks showed the Bears a couple of unscouted looks in the low red zone, but Swift did a nice job making something happen even when the defense did something unexpected.
Zooming out a little, Johnson used the word “inconsistent” to describe the running game as a whole lately. The Bears rushing attack got off to a hot start early in the season. Yet despite seeing a downtick in yards per carry over the last month, the Bears still have the No. 2 rushing attack in the NFL at 150.8 yards per game.
“It is something we’re committed to, and we put a lot of time and effort into this,” Johnson said. “I think those guys in the O-line room are really well coached. Our tight ends are doing a great job blocking in the running game. If we get Monangai back, that’ll be a shot in the arm whenever that’s the case. But Swifty’s doing a great job right now seeing the little crease and turning on the gas.”
Monangai has missed four games with dual thumb and toe injuries, but the toe has been the bigger concern. His status for the Week 9 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains uncertain.
“We’ve got a few guys that we’re going to have to see over the course of the week here whether they’ll be available or not,” Johnson said.
The Bears have a bye after the Buccaneers game, so that could factor into their decision with Monangai.
Injury updates
Left tackle Braxton Jones had season-ending surgery on his injured right knee Tuesday. Jones was already on injured reserve.
Additionally, the Bears on Wednesday placed defensive tackle Kentavius Street on IR with a left knee injury. Street exited Monday night’s win after it appeared his knee bent awkwardly late in the game. Johnson said Street is “likely” done for the season.
Street signed with the team as a free agent in March and has appeared in all eight games, making seven starts. He totaled nine tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss.
The Bears filled Street’s spot on the 53-man roster by signing tight end Stephen Carlson from the practice squad. They also signed defensive end Earnest Brown IV to the practice squad.