After taking Iowa State running back David Montgomery in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, many Chicago Bears fans thought they had the running back of the future, and a guy who could beat the Green Bay Packers.
It's too early to tell if that sort of statement is true or not and it has been an up and down rookie season for the 5-foot-10, 222-pound back.
In 13 games and seven starts, Montgomery has rushed for 680 yards and five touchdowns, solid numbers for a rookie, especially one who has only started about half of the games he has played in. On the other hand, Montgomery's 3.5 yards per carry is less than stellar but with Montgomery being just a rookie, it's not something to stress about.
After a very disappointing start to the season — especially on the offensive side of the ball — the Bears have won their last three games and sit at 7-6. Despite being in third place in the NFC North, Chicago still has a chance to make the playoffs and Sunday's matchup against the rival Green Bay Packers may be the most important game for the Bears to date.
Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2019 NFL season. The third-year pro has played better in recent weeks but if the Bears want to beat their rivals next weekend, it Montgomery who needs to control the game for Chicago.
In the five games this season where Montgomery has gotten more than 15 carries, the Bears are an impressive 4-1. The rookie left the game last Thursday with an apparent leg injury, but with a long week to recover, it's expected that the Iowa State product plays against the Packers.
Montgomery has just one 100-yard rushing performance on the season (week 7 against the Detroit Lions) but if there's a game where the Bears could use that kind of production again, it's this one.
Fortunately, the Packers game also presents one of the best opportunities for Montgomery to have a career type day. Green Bay has been well below average at stopping the run this season and currently surrender 122.8 rushing yards per game which ranks 25th in the NFL.
However, In their first game against each other this season in week one, Green Bay effectively shut down the Bears rushing attack holding Chicago to just 46 yards on 15 carries. The Bears offense works best when they get the rushing offense going.
With Tarik Cohen being used as more of a change of pace back, the Bears should lean on Montgomery to carry the offensive load against the Packers.
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