The Bears will be without running back Kyle Monangai when they face the New England Patriots in Week 7, as he misses his third straight game with turf toe and thumb injuries. Monangai did not practice in any of the Bears' walk-throughs ahead of Thursday night's game at Soldier Field.
The absence is a significant loss for Chicago, which leads the NFL with 161 rushing yards per game. The Bears were held below 100 rushing yards in consecutive games with Monangai sidelined. The former seventh-round pick is averaging 5.4 yards per rush, the fourth-best mark in the league behind Kenneth Walker III (6.3), Bijan Robinson (5.8) and Jaylen Warren (5.5).
Chicago's offense has felt his absence on a broader scale. The Bears averaged 6.8 yards per play with Monangai on the field, a figure that has dipped to 4.7 without him. He produced a career-high 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the 23-12 win over the Jets in Week 4, exiting late in the fourth quarter with a thumb injury. The following week he was placed on the injury report with a toe injury.
Coach Ben Johnson said the toe injury was a "bigger deal" than the team initially anticipated, prompting a specialist visit, and labeled Monangai "week-to-week." Johnson indicated the absence should not extend beyond four games, and said the team did not feel the need to place him on injured reserve. He added that Monangai is "trending in the right direction." New England has held five of its six opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing