Bears run game operating at a slow trot so far
Take away the major contributions from quarterback Mitch Trubisky, and the Bears' "run" game has been operating at a slow jog this year.
Trubisky's 245 rushing yards are second only to the Panthers' Cam Newton (257) among quarterbacks. And Trubisky's 7.9-yard average per carry is higher than anyone in the NFL with at least 10 carries.
Without Trubisky, the Bears are averaging 90 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry. The average running play in the NFL this year generates 4.3 yards. Relying that much on Trubisky to power the ground game is unsustainable, and coach Matt Nagy admits the running attack has not progressed as well as the passing game.
"In the run game, trying to figure out the identity of who we are, has taken a little bit longer than the pass game," Nagy said. "And so what we're going to do - that's why we're coaches - is figure out who we are, what we do best and we talk about it. We're at a point right now where we need to figure out what that is.
"You can't have earmuffs and blinders on. You've got to be real with it and understand that we've got to be better in the run game. When you're not good in the run game and you become one-dimensional, you're in trouble. So we need to focus in on making sure we're better there. It doesn't mean that you change your ratio, pass-to-run ratio or anything like that, but when you do run, your yards per carry has to be better."
The Bears' pass-to-run ration of 225-172, not nearly as pass heavy as many would think, and actually closer to even than the NFL average. Through seven weeks, all NFL teams have averaged 257 pass plays and 171 run plays. It's fair to point out that the Bears are actually a bit more pass heavy because the majority of Trubisky's 31 runs have been scrambles, when a pass play was originally called. But Nagy's point is well taken that the Bears need to do more with their runs, not necessarily run more.
As the bellwether of the run game, much of the focus and criticism has fallen on Jordan Howard, who's averaging just 3.5 yards on 90 carries, down precipitously from his rookie average of 5.2 yards per carry in 2016 and last year's 4.1.
Howard says patience is the key.
"We're definitely confident (in) coach and his offense," Howard said. "You just have to give it time. It's going to work, it's going to come, so you just have to be patient. Everybody has to execute. (There) can't be one person messing up, and I have to do what I have to do to get the running game going. We just have to stick with it."
It's interesting that the Bears aren't throwing the ball that much more frequently than last year, when Howard had 276 carries. The Bears have run on 43.3 percent of their plays this year, compared to 45.2 percent last year.
"I feel like that'll make the success on the running game easy because we've got pass lanes open," Howard said. "So they can't load the box up."
• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.