Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson runs for a first down past Green Bay Packers’ Evan Williams during the first half of an NFL football game on Sept. 24.
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Nothing takes the soul of a football team quite like knowing your opponent is going to run the ball, and you can’t stop it.
Memo to the Green Bay Packers: the Chicago Bears will run — early and often — on Sunday afternoon.
Will the Packers have an answer?
In Green Bay’s last two home games, it’s allowed an average of 274.5 rushing yards and 5.84 yards per carry. The Packers have also allowed seven rushing touchdowns in those two contests.
Don’t look now, but here come the Bears who own the NFL’s No. 1 ranked rushing offense.
“We all know that we’re gonna run the football,” Bears running back Kyle Monangai said. “We know it. The other team knows it. Everyone watching at home and in the stadium knows it.”
Stopping it is an entirely different story.
And Green Bay’s inability to stop the run has led to back-to-back, embarrassing home losses.
In Week 17, 2025, Baltimore ran for 307 yards in a 41-24 destruction of Green Bay. Ravens standout Derrick Henry punished the Packers with 216 yards on 36 carries (6.0) and four rushing touchdowns. Henry’s 216 yards were the most yards ever by a visiting back, eclipsing the 210 Minnesota’s Adrain Peterson put up in 2012.
“Embarrassing,” Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness called it.
“We got our (tails) whupped,” Green Bay safety Javon Bullard said.
The Packers came out of training camp this summer believing their defensive line was greatly improved. In a 35-14 home loss to Atlanta in Week 3, though, the Falcons ran roughshod over the Packers, as well.
The incomparable Bijan Robinson had 194 rushing yards on 29 carries (6.69) and two touchdowns. Atlanta finished the night piling up 242 rushing yards on 41 carries (5.90).
“He’s one of the best in the league,” Green Bay safety Evan Williams said of Robinson. “But we hold ourselves to a standard.”
As of late, that standard hasn’t been met.
The Packers currently rank 28th in the league in rushing defense, allowing 139.3 yards per game. Green Bay has also allowed seven rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the second-most in football.
Now, the run-heavy Bears and their two-headed backfield monster of Monangai and D’Andre Swift have to salivating as they come to Lambeau Field.
Chicago averages an NFL-best 196.3 rushing yards per game and ranks fourth with 4.9 yards per carry.
Monangai leads the Bears with 81.0 rushing yards per game, a whopping 5.4 yards per carry and has three rushing touchdowns. Swift is averaging 77.8 rushing yards per game, 4.5 yards per attempt and also has three rushing TDs.
Monangai ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing yards and Swift ranks eighth. Both players average more yards per game than Green Bay does as a team (58.0).
Overall, the Bears are running the ball 54.6% of the time. And since the start of the 2025 season, Chicago has recorded at least 230 rushing yards in four games – the most in the NFL.
“I think that just goes to show the testament that we’ve put the time in to still stick to what we know we’re going to do,” Monangai said. “And we just say, ‘you’ve gotta come stop us.’ ”
Good luck.
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