Sticking to their modus operandi, the Chicago Bears remain mum regarding the extent of Matt Forte's knee injury.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Bears will go into their game Monday night versus the San Diego Chargers with rookie running back Jeremy Langford as the starter due to Forte's injury. Forte is a serious long shot to play, Rapoport added, per a source informed of the team's plans.
Langford displayed solid patience and vision replacing Forte in the third quarter of last week's loss. He's not the workhorse that Forte is, but teammates like what the first-year back's downhill style brings to the ground game.
"Langford's a guy who can pick and choose from different guys' repertoires," right tackle Kyle Long said, via CSN Chicago. "He's a guy who can run very hard downhill with surprising burst that you see on film. Once he gets through the line, he can just shoot out there.
"So I think from a linear standpoint, you'll see a guy who's running downhill, and I think Bears fans will like it. I know I like the guy a lot. He runs hard, and he's a tough kid."
While he'll fill Forte's between-the-tackles role, the question is whether the Bears will trust Langford in the passing game after his big drop on third down Sunday led to the Minnesota Vikings getting the ball back for the game-winning score -- Antone Smith could take on the role of pass-catching back in obvious down-and-distances. Then there is pass protection, a spot many rookies struggle.
No one back can replace Forte's production in the Bears' offense. We expect coordinator Adam Gase to utilize the quick passing attack more frequently, especially with Alshon Jeffery healthy, to compensate for any time the veteran misses.
