As if the Bears weren’t haunted by the relentlessness of one spirited running back, Todd Gurley and the St. Louis Rams look to give the Bears more problems in the running game.
The last running back to notch 100 yards rushing on the Bears, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, is the rusher many are comparing Gurley with. Peterson led the Vikes to a 23-20 overtime victory over the Bears in Week 7. Though Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater would leave the game with a concussion, Peterson protected the lead with an exceptional OT performance.
The Bears are hoping to eliminate the possibility of Gurley propelling his team to victory via the rush, but realize how great of an undertaking that is. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had high praise for both running backs and said Gurley is already has historical stature in the league.
He’s got good size, good speed, he’s tough to tackle, Fangio said. They do a good job in their running game. They have a good scheme. It’s well coached. He’s picked it up well. He’s lit it up here. I think what, the first four weeks he’s played, he’s the only guy in history to have 100 yards his first four games. So that kind of tells it all. I’ve heard some people compare him to Adrian Peterson when he first came into the league, so just to even consider that tells you where this guy is at from a talent standpoint.
The Bears (3-5) are a decent run-stop team but they only rank out as the 16th best team at defending the run (109.8). If the Rams are able to get things going through the air early, this may become a lop-sided game against a team with an elite defense.
