The Chicago Bears have built their identity around a high-powered offense with the ability to stretch the field with explosive plays and also dominate the battle up front. The versatility of Ben Johnson's playbook has earned him the respect of the entire NFL as one of the league's best play callers.
In thinking of how to expose New England's elite defense, Johnson's first instinct will be to look at his run game. Currently, the Bears have the best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 160.7 rush yards per game (1st), with 964 total rush yards (1st), and 13 touchdowns on the ground (2nd).
Last week, New England's defense was quickly taken advantage of by the New York Jets' ground game. In total, the Jets ran for 96 yards against the Patriots, in a game where the Pats held on to a 26-19 victory. However, 80 of those yards came in the first half.
The adjustments didn't come from New England's sideline, but rather New York's desire to get back into the ball game after trailing by two scores — doing so by passing the ball more often.
With this tape in mind, Johnson will likely turn to his highly efficient run game to power through an expensive Patriots defense. Though the Patriots have the ninth best run defense in the NFL, the Bears offensive line ranks top 10 in run blocking efficiency (according to PFF). The Bears could take advantage of defensive linemen Milton Williams and Christian Barmore similar to how the Jets did in the first half of Week 6.
How Do Bears Use Running Game To Set Up The Pass?
Another key advantage of Chicago's run game is their ability to set up downfield plays off of play-action. According to Muffed AI, the Bears run the third most play-action passes in the NFL, doing so on 30.5% of their offensive snaps.
Johnson and his offense will be without secondary running back, Kyle Monangai, who will miss his third straight game with a turf toe injury. Despite being second on the depth chart, Monangai plays 40.2% of snaps and averages 15 more yards per game than starter D'Andre Swift.
Monangai's inavailability Thursday night will be a big detriment to Chicago's run game, as they roll out Swift and Roschon Johnson to carry the ball.
New England was able to stop New York's run game by forcing them to throw the ball. If the Patriots can get ahead early in Thursday night's contest and rely on their elite secondary (complimented by a red hot pass rush that sacked Geno Smith three times on Sunday), then the threat of Chicago's rushing attack may be relinquished.
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