Bears give notable injury update on D’Andre Swift ahead of Bengals clash

The Chicago Bears are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. They sit 4-3 with a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago has shown flashes of elite offense, having won four of its last five games while scoring at least 25 points in all of those wins. Running back D'Andre Swift has been a big reason for that, as his work on the ground has allowed quarterback Caleb Williams to escape severe criticism.

Swift is averaging 4.6 yards per carry for the Bears and has also been an important part of their passing game. But Chicago won't have him available for this critical matchup against the Bengals.

Chicago Bears rule out D'Andre Swift against Bengals

According to the Bears' injury report, Swift has been ruled out of Sunday's game due to a groin injury. That leaves Chicago in an unenviable spot when it comes to its running back options.

Rookie Kyle Monangai will be the starting running back. He has rushed for under 29 yards in six of the seven games the Bears have played this year. Cincinnati still might not be able to stop them, though.

The Bengals have the worst rushing defense in the NFL, allowing a whopping 151.9 yards per game. Even with Monangai as the starter, the Bengals might not be able to slow down the Bears.

If the Bears do lose this game, it will likely be because Monangai wasn't able to get going. He's also not as good in pass protection as Swift, which could be a big problem.

This doesn't seem to be a long-term injury for Swift, which is good news for Chicago. The Bears are the eighth seed in the NFC and sit two games behind the Packers for the top spot in the NFC North.