Key Matchup: The Chicago Bears’ Running Attack vs the Denver Broncos Defense
Published by Jake Perper on December 9, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Bears will be without Matt Forte this Sunday, due to an MCL sprain in his right knee.
Forte hasn’t been able to practice all week. With Forte out, Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell will likely split the carries.
In nine games this season Barber has carried the ball 76 times for 281 yards and five touchdowns.
Bell has appeared in nine games as well. He’s carried the ball 15 times for 57 times.
Both running backs have different styles of running.
Barber is a gasher, while Bell is similar to Forte with his pure speed.
Bell is a solid receiver out of the backfield and had a run of 26 yards last week against Kansas City.
Barber has been solid as a backup, but he is better as a change-of-pace back.
With Barber likely getting most of the carries, Bell will get his chances as well on Sunday.
The Broncos run defense ranks 20th in the NFL, allowing an average of 121.2 yards per game.
They allow around 30 carries per game. They’ve allowed five touchdowns on the ground and a season long run of 47 yards.
The Bears run offense ranks 12th in the NFL, averaging 119.4 yards per game. They average around 4.5 ypc and have scored nine touchdowns on the ground.
The Bears offense will need to get the running game going to take the pressure off of Caleb Hanie.
Without Matt Forte it won’t be as big of a challenge as some may think.
Barber and Bell are both good backs, and with the right amount of carries they could have success against the Broncos defense.
Expect the Bears to have success on the ground. If they can do that, it will be that much easier to get a win.
Hanie needs the running game, and the Bears offense needs to get going.
The Bears need a win. It all starts with the two-headed running attack without Matt Forte.
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
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