CHICAGO — The Bears will be without running back Kyle Monangai against the New England Patriots in Week 7.
Monangai did not practice in any of the Bears walk-throughs ahead of Thursday night’s game at Soldier Field and is set to miss his third straight game with turf toe and thumb injuries.
The Bears lead the NFL with 161 rushing yards per game but were held below 100 in consecutive games with Monangai sidelined. The former seventh rounder is averaging 5.4 yards per rush, which is the fourth most in the NFL behind Kenneth Walker III (6.3), Bijan Robinson (5.8) and Jaylen Warren (5.5).
Chicago was averaging 6.8 yards per play with Monangai on the field, a figure that has dipped to 4.7 without him.
Monangai produced a career-high 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ 23-12 win over the Jets in Week 4. He exited that game late in the fourth quarter with a thumb injury, but it wasn’t until the following week that he appeared on the injury report with a toe injury.
Coach Ben Johnson said Monangai’s toe injury was a “bigger deal” than the team initially anticipated, which prompted a visit to a specialist for further evaluation. The running back was then categorized by Johnson as “week-to-week.”
Last Friday, Johnson intimated that the Monangai’s absence should not be longer than four games, the mandated amount a player would miss with an injured reserve designation.
“It wasn’t one of those things we felt like we needed to put him on IR for,” Johnson said on Oct.16. “So, it’s still week to week and as far as I know, he’s trending in the right direction.”
In five of its six games, New England has had held opponents below 100 rushing yards.
