After a day that saw players like Steve Smith and Le’Veon Bell lost for the season with injuries, Chicago Bears fans got some good news on Monday when head coach John Fox addressed Matt Forte’s status.
Forte, who left the Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after suffering a knee injury, likely won’t need surgery according to Fox, and the coach says that he does not feel that the injury will end the running back’s season.
“Right now, the feeling is – again, it’s not exact, because we’re not done with it (evaluating the injury) – I don’t see it being season-ending,” Fox said.
That is good news for a Bears team that has started to turn a corner offensively. The team had some great drives despite the loss Sunday, and with Forte’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and to run effectively, the team was finding some good balance.
For now, the keys will be turned over to rookie running back Jeremy Langford. So far this season Langford has just 80 rushing yards on 27 carries, and he’s also added two catches for 31 yards through the air.
Running back Antone Smith could also see some action after the Bears brought him aboard earlier this season. He was active for the Bears in the loss to Minnesota, but he didn’t get any touches out of the backfield.
Second-year back Ka’Deem Carey will likely see a bit of action as well, but he will undoubtedly be the third-option out of the backfield when the Bears resume play against the San Diego Chargers next week.
