Monday night’s Vikings comeback was as much about the run game as it was quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Take out the three rushes when the Vikings were trying to run out the clock, and the Bears gave up 77 rushing yards on 10 fourth-quarter run plays.
That’s more than eight teams gave up in an entire game last week.
“We just had some mental snafus with our run fits,” coach Ben Johnson said Friday.
If it happens again Sunday, the Lions could run for 177. Jahmyr Gibbs might be the fastest running back in football, while David Montgomery’s physical run style typically yields fourth-quarter breakthroughs against exhausted defenses.
“We’re going to have to bottle these guys up as best we can,” Johnson said. “We know this is going to be a very physical football game up front and with our perimeter players as well. That’s just how we like it.”
Johnson doesn’t need a scouting report on the Lions’ duo. He was the play-caller that turned the speedy Gibbs and the bruising Montgomery into “Sonic and Knuckles,” the best tandem in the NFL last year.
“It’s something you definitely better be aware of,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “You have to pay them both a high amount of respect.”
The Lions struggled in their first game under offensive coordinator John Morton last week, combining for 20 rushes and 44 yards in a 14-point loss to the Packers. The Bears marveled at the Packers’ ability to gang-tackle the two running backs both in the run and the pass.
Gibbs caught 10 passes for a mere 31 yards — the fewest receiving yards in NFL history for a player with double-digit receptions — and Montgomery had four for 18.
Montgomery, who was the Bears’ lead back for the first four years of his career before turning down general manager Ryan Poles’ free-agent offer to join the Lions, tries to set the tone between the tackles.
Gibbs can run up the middle, too, but shines on the outside. He had 1,412 rushing yards last season, posting a touchdown in 13 different games and totaling 20 on the year.
“He has explosive play-making ability and likes to test edges,” defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo said. “He can still run between the tackles. … But no edge is safe.”
He’s stronger than he looks.
“He can really make something out of nothing,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “It’ll be all hands on deck trying to get him down.”
In two games against the Bears last year, Gibbs ran 32 times for a whopping 196 yards. Slowing him down Sunday will require “phenomenal defense,” Johnson said. The Lions have offensive players with tremendous quickness — receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams — but they’ll have a tough time getting started if the Lions’ run game is stuffed for the second-straight week.
“They want to start to get the run game going so they can set up the play-action passes, the boot[leg]s,” Byard said. “Everything starts with the run game.”
WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL
One year after being sacked 68 times, the third-most in the history of the sport, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked only twice in the season opener — and one of those came when he stepped out of bounds while throwing a pass.
Enter Aidan Hutchinson, who on Sunday will be making his return to Ford Field after suffering a grisly broken leg last year. When he was hurt in Week 5, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks. A return to that form Sunday would absolutely torture the Bears. Hutchinson is healthy again — he played all but two of the Lions’ snaps Sunday.
“He’s high effort, great motor,” left tackle Braxton Jones said. “You just have to bring that same energy when it comes to him.”
Jones, who won the starting job almost by default, was fine in the opener — Pro Football Focus ranked him 35th out of 64 tackles in Week 1. The Bears gave him a lot of help, though, be it with blocking tight ends, running backs or extra tackle Theo Benedet, who played four snaps.
The best way for the Bears to keep Hutchinson at bay is to run the ball more effectively.
D’Andre Swift was the only Bears running back to run the ball against the Vikings and managed just 3.1 yards per carry. Among all running backs with at least 15 carries last week, only the Bengals’ Chase Brown and the Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty had a worse average. Rookie Kyle Monangai figures to get his first carry Sunday, too, after catching one ball against the Vikings.
WHEN THE LIONS HAVE THE BALL
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is known for his exotic blitzes and physical man coverage from his cornerbacks. He was able to trick Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in his first-ever game — in man coverage, Nahshon Wright picked off a pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown Sunday.
The Lions, though, know Allen well. Head coach Dan Campbell was the Saints’ assistant head coach from 2016-20 and offensive coordinator John Morton coached wide receivers there from 2015-16, all while Allen worked for New Orleans. They know his tendency to pressure, particularly on third down.
“I’m sure they’ll have a plan for it,” coach Ben Johnson said. “DA’s been doing this a long time. He’s got some really good things in his arsenal.”
The Bears blitzed only three times Monday night and got a strong pass rush — particularly from new edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo — nonetheless. Their pressure percentage ranked fourth.
The Lions’ three new starting offensive linemen struggled in Week 1, giving up four sacks. The Lions averaged 3.8 yards per play, less than every team in the league but the Giants, Bengals and Titans.
Morton, who took over for Bears coach Ben Johnson, has only one season as coordinator on his NFL resume. How he adjusts Sunday will be a big test.
“There’s still not a lot to go off of in terms of exactly how Johnny Morton’s going to call the game,” Allen said. “I think we’ll have to be ready to make some adjustments and see what they’re trying to do.”