Minutes after the Bears blew yet another fourth-quarter lead Sunday to lose to the Browns, coach Matt Eberflus bemoaned the state of the offense. It seemed as if the Bears were always in second-and-long or third-and-long against a nasty Browns defensive front.
“We’re always behind,” Eberflus said.
A running game that felt stuck all game became even more consequential in the short-yardage blunders, from an eight-snap, one-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter to failures on fourth-and-one and third-and-one in the fourth. Quarterback Justin Fields was tripped when he scrambled on the fourth-and-one. Receiver Tyler Scott was tackled for a loss on a jet sweep on the third-and-one. A running back didn’t touch the ball on either play.
The solution to Eberflus’ lament: The running backs simply need to run the ball better.
The Bears have one of the NFL’s best running games — fifth in rushing yards per game and eighth in yards per carry — but Fields is responsible for a lot of that success. Among only running backs, the Bears rank 15th in yards per carry and 17th in yards per game.
From Weeks 6 to 10, running back D’Onta Foreman ran for 65 yards or more four times in five games. Since then, none of the Bears’ three running backs has a single game of more than 50 rushing yards.
“We have to win the game up front,” Eberflus said Friday. “And it’s important that we do that this week.”
The struggles at running back coincided with the return of Khalil Herbert from an ankle injury in Week 11. Foreman hurt his own ankle, forcing him to miss the win over the Vikings in Week 12. The Bears opted to play rookie Roschon Johnson, a better pass blocker, on about three-quarters of their snaps against the blitz-happy Vikings. Herbert played about one-fifth of them.
Herbert, who entered the season as the team’s biggest threat at the position, has run for eight yards in each of his last two games — on six carries against the Browns and three against the Lions. He and Eberflus both insist his speed burst has returned since his injury — but they admit it would be hard to tell from watching him on Sundays.
“Yeah, I’ve seen it in practice,” Eberflus said. “We’re excited to see it in the game. And so is he. He’s been working hard at it. And he works really hard every single week, and the scheme is good this week. Got some good plays in there for him and the other guys to get the ball on the perimeter, as well as inside.”
Added Herbert: “I just have to do it in
the game.”
Facing the Cardinals on Sunday will help. They’ve given up the second-most rushing yards in the NFL.
“You don’t have [Browns defensive end] Myles Garrett over there,” Foreman said. “You don’t have [defensive end] Za’Darius Smith. That’s one start of the difference [between the Browns and Cardinals]. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be a cake walk. But I think if we go out there and we’re more physical than those guys, it’ll be good.”
Foreman practiced in full Friday after missing Thursday for personal reasons. The Bears consider him questionable for Sunday.
They have yet to find a rhythm while incorporating all three running backs in the same game. Foreman was a healthy scratch in Weeks 2-5 before becoming the lead back when Herbert and Johnson were hurt. Johnson played 49% of the snaps against the Browns, Foreman 26% and Herbert 23%. Johnson led both teams in rushing, carrying five times for 36 yards.
“Like we’ve said, you always go with the hot hand, that type of thing,” Eberflus said. “Certainly, we have guys who are more slated to the third-down package and the protection part and the passing part. Obviously, Foreman’s been a big part of the first and second down, and Herbert was obviously injured, coming back from there. There’s been some continuity issues due to injury, guys in and out. I think that may be playing a part of it, but [we] certainly looking forward to getting that going this week.”
