Bears Plan to Address Struggling Run Game Over Week 10 Bye

The Chicago Bears' run game hasn't been the same since running back Kyle Monangai last played in the Week 4 win over the New York Jets. 

Monangai ran the ball 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He injured his thumb and toe in the 23-12 win and has missed the last five games. With his absence, the Bears have struggled to create the same explosiveness and consistency on the ground. 

Here's a look at the team's rushing yards over the first nine games

The Bears averaged 196.3 rushing yards per game through the first four weeks. After Monangai's injury, that has dropped to 98.6 yards per game. Now, the struggles in the run game are not solely on Monangai's absence, and head coach Ben Johnson plans to analyze that part of his offense over the bye week. 

“I think we're going to take a look at what we're doing well right now," Johnson said. "What we're most consistent at. And schematically I think we're a little bit different in terms of where we were this year compared to last year. There are some things coming out of last year's bye week that we're able to lean into, and I'm hoping that we're going to be able to find some nuggets like that of areas that we really can make more consistent. Like you said, I think over the course of nine games, there's only been three of those nine where we're averaging over four yards a carry, which simply in our terms is just not good enough right now.

Those guys know that, particularly as the weather continues to turn into ‘Bear weather.’ We're going to need to lean on that run game more. And it's going to need to come through for us. I've got to look at, is it the fact that we're not getting as many explosives in the run game right now? Is that why the average is low? Or is it we're just not moving the line of scrimmage? What are those factors? Being able to have nine games of sample size at this point is going to be really good for us to look into.”

As Johnson mentioned, the team evaluated the run game after last season's bye week as well, which occurred in Week 5. Through the first four games in 2025, the Bears averaged 102.3 rushing yards per game. After the bye week, Chicago's offense averaged 157.5 yards per game, finishing with the third-most total rushing yards in the regular season. 

Here is what Johnson said about the run game after the team returned from the bye week last season.

"The running game I've kind of alluded to it over the course of training camp," Johnson said. "It is going to take a little bit of time for our guys to all mesh together. I think that's what the tape looks like right now. We're just not firing on all cylinders yet. Sometimes it could be the ball carrier not hitting the right spot. Other times it's just our combinations aren't clean yet. It's going to take everybody, its quarterback, its receivers, its O-line, it's tight ends to go along with those runners. It's a very complex question, but the guys are playing hard, they're playing for each other. I think we're doing a good job of getting that squared away. Good things will happen the more time we spend together.”

Monangai is expected to be back for the Week 11 matchup against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field, so that will provide a boost for the rushing attack. 

The Bears have faced three teams in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game: Buccaneers: No. 1 (79.1), Seahawks: No. 4 (89.1) and Patriots: (96.7). That contributes to the struggles in the run game, but there are some tough matchups remaining on the schedule. 

Hosting New Orleans after the bye week gives Chicago a prime opportunity to test the self-scouted adjustments and potentially get the offense in rhythm before facing some of the top defenses against the run to close out the 2026 regular season.