Matt Forte Is X-Factor For Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots

By Paul Kakert @edpvideo on October 22, 2014

Seven weeks into the season and there have been very few sightings of the high-flying passing attack that the Chicago Bears unleashed a year ago. That being the case, there is only one thing to do against the New England Patriots on Sunday – run the ball. In recent weeks, Matt Forte has been used primarily as a receiver. In fact, he leads the entire NFL in receptions with 52. Come Sunday, success may depend on his ability to carry the ball against a Patriots team dealing with defensive injuries and struggling against the run.

The Patriots rank 24th against ground attacks, yielding 126.3 yards per game. Last week, the New York Jets, led by Chris Ivory, gashed the Patriots for more than 200 yards rushing. That was the first game without linebacker Gerod Mayo, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Until the Patriots fill that void, the way to attack them is on the ground.

This is the only logical game plan option open to Marc Trestman and the Bears, because the Patriots are the NFL’s top-ranked passing defense. They give up just over 200 yards per game (208) and have only allowed four passing touchdowns. Coming into this season, popular public sentiment was that the Bears were ready for the challenge of their great offense against the best defenses. But given the struggles the Bears have had throwing this season – in spite of their wealth of talent on offense – they are no match for the best passing defense in the league.

The challenge for the Bears is significant, even if they attack the Patriots’ weakness. That’s because the Bears’ running offense just happens to be ranked 24th in the league, so to be successful will take a commitment to the run for the game, not just the first possession or two.

Forte has the ability to carry the team, but does Trestman trust the run game enough to match wits with Bill Belichick and pull off another impressive road win? We’ll find out Sunday.

Paul Kakert is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @edpvideo, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.