Throughout the season, there has been an underlying storyline for the Chicago Bears with the type of workload that running back Jordan Howard continues to receive on a weekly basis.
It has been a number of carries that have tittered back and forth as the season has worn on that has seen Howard voice his disgruntlement with the unevenness of his role in the offense. Despite that, the 24-year-old voiced no issue with that after the 34-22 win over the Detriot Lions, according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
“You can’t be mad,” he said. “We have six wins. I ain’t had six wins since college, my last year at college.”
Howard had put together one of his least productive outings of the season against the Bears rushing for just 21 yards on 11 attempts while hauling in a reception for 11 receiving yards. The fluctuation in his role in the offense has been difficult for him given that the dialogue heading into the season was that head coach Matt Nagy would utilize him more a three-down running back, which hasn't exactly been the case this year.
He has tallied 460 rushing yards on 137 carries with five rushing touchdowns along with 12 receptions for 98 receiving yards through the first nine games played. Howard has yet to tally more than 100 rushing yards once this season while failing to surpass 50 rushing yards five times including in three out of the last four contests. It has been a major step back for him as he had posted back-to-back 1,000 rushing yard campaigns to begin his career heading into the 2018 campaign.
At that same token, backup Tarik Cohen has proven he can be a game-changing talent behind his speed and big-play ability. Cohen has been a big factor in the passing game with 37 receptions for 435 receiving yards and three touchdowns. This simply going to be a situation that Howard is going to have to come to terms with that he may not get the workload he desires due to the presence of Cohen alongside him. Beyond that, if the Bears continue to stack up wins on their march toward contending for the playoffs, it should amend all of these personal issues with his role.
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