The Chicago Bears are expected to deploy their best rushing attack of the season against the Detroit Lions in Week 11.
The team reported on Saturday that starting running back Khalil Herbert will officially be activated from the injured reserve for Sunday's game and will play for the first time since Week 5.
Fellow running back D'Onta Foreman is also expected to play despite being listed as questionable with an ankle injury on Friday's injury report. Foreman has been the team's leading rusher on the season since being the starter after Herbert went down.
The two haven't shared the field at the same time since Week 1's loss to the Green Bay Packers, but even then, Foreman only played 28% of the offensive snaps. The Bears free agent acquisition was a healthy scratch from Weeks 2-5 but shined as the team's starter once given the opportunity.
The past five games have allowed the Bears to truly see what they have in Foreman on offense and now they can utilize his skillset alongside Herbert in Week 11. The team will also have rookie running back Roschon Johnson in the rotation at the position.
It'll be interesting to see how Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will use the top two backs on offense this Sunday. Head coach Matt Eberflus hinted about how the offense will utilize both backs while speaking with reporters following Friday's practice.
"We find that balance by the production as we go into flow of the game," he explained. "We certainly have a plan for that in terms of reps, but tactically, you look and see who's hot, who's running it the right way, and then getting guys involved."
"It's our it's our job to get both [Foreman and Herbert] involved because they both played well," he added. "Certainly Khalil's played really well when he was in there and D'Onta's come in there and just has done very nice for us."
Utilizing both backs in the game plan can help the Bears take the Lions defense off guard on Sunday just based on the different styles each player can show offensively. Which is something Eberflus recognizes given his long and extensive work as a defensive coach in the league.
"They're different style runners, which I think is cool to be able to throw that at a defense," Eberflus said. "It's always hard to defend against both different types. And they both run the same type of runs, which is which is also pretty neat. It's a fortunate thing to have."
The Bears could also elect to play it smart with Herbert in his first game back from injury on Sunday. Here's what Eberflus had to say about how the team could handle his workload against the Lions.
"If he's is on a pitch count, we certainly feel great about Foreman and Roschon carrying the load or carrying part of the duty. But, Herbert's look really well this week."
"[Herbert's] been chomping at the bit to play," he added. "He really tried to play last week but he just wasn't there and wasn't ready yet. But, with that longer break, he's got a chance to really get back in there."
The Bears rushing attack will also have another dynamic weapon available to use on Sunday. Starting quarterback Justin Fields will return for the first time in four weeks and can add another dimension to the team's rushing offense. However, Fields is coming off of a significant thumb injury and could be limited in his rushing opportunities in his first game back.
In their last meeting against the Lions in Detroit, the Bears rushed for 200 yards as a team. Fields rushed for 130+ yards in each of his two matchups against the Lions in 2022. However, he has yet to rush for over 60 yards in a game this season. We'll see if that trend continues for Fields on Sunday by relying on his backs to handle the workload on the ground.
More must-reads: