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While the Chicago Bears have the last-ranked passing offense in the NFL, the team’s saving grace has been its rushing offense.
The Bears’ rushing attack, which leads the NFL with 1,267 yards on the ground and 181 yards rushing per game, has been clicking on all cylinders through the first seven weeks of the season, and it’s safe to say they’ve made a fan of NFL Network and Fox Sports analyst Brian Baldinger.
“There’s only half a dozen teams in this league that run the ball as well as the Bears do,” Baldinger said in a recent film breakdown. “It’s what they can hang their hat on as they develop this team. …You’re not going to win a championship (running like this) but while you build your team, develop your team, you can hang your hat on this. It’s good stuff.”
Chicago features three of the top 32 rushers in the league — Khalil Herbert, Justin Fields, and David Montgomery.
Montgomery, who was a 1,000-yard rusher just two seasons ago, has been Chicago’s leading tailback since his rookie year in 2019. He leads the Bears with 77 carries and ranks third with 308 yards, and his 4.0 yards per carry is not far off from his career-best of 4.3 in 2020.
“Montgomery is special; he’s a mudder,” Baldinger continued. “Unless you wrap his legs up, he’s not going down, he’s going to come out of [the pile]. He’s a talented back, he’s a 4.64 (40-yard dash) guy coming out of Iowa State, but he’s got contact balance. He stays on his feet.”
Herbert has been the Bears’ leading rusher in three games this year, and he has one of the team’s two 100-yard rushing performances this year. The 24-year-old leads the team with 464 yards rushing, 6.2 yards per carry, and three touchdowns.
Fields has the second-most rushing yards on the team (364) and the second-best yards per carry (5.4). The second-year quarterback also has the second-most yards on the ground among QBs, behind only Lamar Jackson (510). Fields has led the team in rushing in each of the last three games, and he has the most first downs via run on the team (25).
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