The Chicago Bears are getting confident. The team has somehow managed to turn things around at just the right time as they fight for the playoffs. The win over the Green Bay Packers certainly helped their case as the Bears upset their NFC North rivals and now have the momentum moving in their favor. The biggest storyline from that game was the ground game as Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford split the carries in Week 12. Is that a sign of things to come?
Forte got the start in Week 12 as he made his return from a knee injury. That was a controversial decision considering in the three games he was out, Langford has been the best offensive producer for the Bears as he breakout rookie season continues. Forte could not get much going in his return. While he did get 15 carries, he only managed 44 yards. Meanwhile Langford got 12 carries and managed 48 yards and one touchdown. All around, the run game was lackluster against the Packers, but the split carries could be how the Bears managed the rotation for the rest of the season.
According to ESPN's Jeff Dickerson, Forte might be the starter, but Langford is the long-term option and everyone knows it. Forte's contract is expiring and the Bears have made no efforts to re-sign him. Approaching 30, the Bears have their backup plan in place for when the veteran heads elsewhere. Until then, Forte is going to try and make an impact.
"I don't know if I had any extra adrenaline being back out there. I mean, I always have adrenaline, but it felt good to be on the field again," Forte said, via ESPN.com. "This was a big-time win. It's hard to win out here at Lambeau Field. I've played here a lot and haven't won much. It feels great to get a full team win. The defense played great, obviously, and as an offense we moved the ball sometimes and capitalized in the red zone when we got turnovers from the defense."
The Bears got a lot of help from Alshon Jeffery being active. He continues to battle injuries, but is making a difference when on the field. He put up 90 yards on seven catches. That was the offensive spark that the Bears needed. Jeffery along with Langford represent the future in Chicago, but who joins them is a good question. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears could eye a trade of Martellus Bennett with Zach Miller improving. Miller's contract is expiring as well, but the tight end could be cheaper to bring back than Bennett who will likely make another command at getting a pay raise. The Bears will have some roster decisions to make and who steps up in the final stretch of the season could dictate what happens.
