Montgomery climbs off turf to lead Bears' ball control
Injuries seemed to cast a depressing cloud over the entire NFL during Sunday's early games, and none was worse than Giants running back Saquon Barkley's knee injury against the Bears.
Barkley was injured on the first play of the second quarter as he was being pushed out of bounds by Eddie Jackson. There was no official diagnosis after the game, but multiple reports suggested the Giants fear an ACL tear.
On the very next drive, the Bears' David Montgomery joined the run of running back bad luck. Knocked head over heels as he tried to leap over a tackler in the middle of the line, Montgomery was slammed headfirst into the turf by New York defensive tackle B.J. Hill.
Montgomery remained on the ground for a few moments and walked to the locker room, where he spent the rest of the fist half.
"When it happened it was kind of scary, but I knew I was fine when I was able to move my neck and I was still conscious," Montgomery said after the game. "I was fine. Just trying to move my neck around, make sure I was all right."
With a 17-0 lead, it would have been a reasonable choice for Montgomery to sit this one out. But he was back for the second half and helped the Bears control the clock.
The Bears certainly would have enjoyed a more comfortable margin of victory, but milking the clock to secure a 17-13 win worked too. They held the ball for 5:41 during a 12-play drive in the fourth quarter.
"That was a big part of the game, being able to chew up the clock a little bit there since they were getting close to being out of time outs," Bears head coach Matt Nagy said. "That part I liked."
Montgomery's first four carries during the long fourth-quarter drive went for 11, 10, 9 and 23 yards. The 9-yard gain was nullified by an illegal chop block penalty, but that kind of production leads to winning football.
Last year as a rookie, Montgomery averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Two games into this season, he's averaging an even 5.0 yards per rush, which also speaks well for the offensive line.
"We just get hands on guys and getting downfield," Montgomery said. "Those guys are being way more aggressive. It's a lot less thinking. It's definitely an exciting thing to know we can run the ball when we have to. And not even having to run the ball, just running it because we want to. It's definitely an exciting feeling."
The offensive line struggled last season and the only change was free agent Germain Ifedi moving in at right guard. So the run game has been a pleasant surprise so far. Montgomery helped get the Bears to a good start by turning a dump-off pass into a 28-yard touchdown on the game's first possession.
As far as watching Barkley leave with an injury, Montgomery said he chatted with the former Penn State star after the game.
"Me knowing Saquon, I know he'll be fine," Montgomery said. "He'll bounce back and come back stronger than he left, so prayers out to him."
There was happier news earlier in the day with the Bears announcing a contract extension for backup running back Tarik Cohen.
"I'm excited for him. My dog's really been grinding," Montgomery said of Cohen. "The kind of character the guy has, he really deserves it. He deserves more, but I'm happy that my guy was able to reap what he sowed."
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