The Chicago Bears were keeping their fingers crossed regarding Matt Forte. After the running back went down with a knee injury in Week 8, the Bears were quick to say this issue was not season-ending and Forte was still an option to start in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the running back was unable to get healthy quickly and has been ruled out for the Monday night matchup.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, Forte will be out for Week 9 which is a huge hit to the Chicago offense as he has accounted for 32.0 percent of the team's yards from scrimmage this year. With Forte out, Jay Cutler's safety blanket is gone. Head coach John Fox was quick to say that Forte is still listed as day-to-day and could be back next week, but for now rookie Jeremy Langford will get the starting nod. He has 27 carries for 80 yards to his name, but he also has two touchdowns on the season and the Bears are confident in what he can bring to the field.
"We have no choice," Cutler said, via ESPN.com. "Matt is not coming back. Not this game anyway, I don't think. We're going to have to work with the young kid, and like I said, he makes it easy. His work and his preparation ... you develop trust pretty quickly just because of the way he holds himself to a certain standard each day in practice. He's developing into a professional pretty quickly. He knows what we are asking of him."
Langford will likely work with Antone Smith who was signed at the start of the season to handle the rushing attack. Langford's lack of experience could be a concern considering he has only played on 73 snaps this season, but Cutler and company believe the rookie has what it takes to get the job done on Monday night.
The Bears have plenty of injury concerns with this game. Along with Forte, Eddie Royal will also be out with a knee injury according to ESPN.com. That leaves Cutler without one of his favored targets. Alshon Jeffery is healthy and ready to play while Cameron Meredith will have to step up along with Martellus Bennett who admitted he was frustrated with his role in the offense. The tight end noted that he has been doing more blocking this season and is ok with that, but wants more catches and touchdowns. Cutler understands.
"Marty, I mean, he wants the ball," Cutler said, via ESPN.com. "It would probably be a problem if he didn't want the ball. He always wants the ball at practice. Every game, he wants the ball. We are seeing a lot of singe-high [safeties] out there in games and having Alshon Jeffery back opened up some of the lanes outside. Marty, I think he had 11 catches that game against Oakland, and then teams took him away a little bit. Alshon has got some balls which I'm sure is going to open some things up back inside for Bennett. He's a little bit frustrated, but he'll be patient and we'll continue to find ways to get him the ball."