FLOWERY BRANCH — The Bears feature the No. 2 rushing attack in the NFL.
Therefore, it’s no mystery what the Bears (6-9) will try to do with they host the Falcons (7-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Falcons’ run defense, which ranks 15th in the league, will be the X-factor in the game.
The Bears feature quarterback Justin Fields and running backs Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman. Each has rushed for more than 400 yards this season. In the Bears’ win over the Cardinals on Sunday, they rushed 38 times for 250 yards.
“They have a lot of mouths to feed in that run game,” Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They’ve got a bunch of guys that can run the rock. They get some receivers incorporated and obviously their quarterback. Then they’ve got a bunch of good running backs.”
Safety Jessie Bates leads the Falcons in tackles, with 117. He’s been a factor in the run game. Elliss ranks second with 110.
“The key is going to be (stay) on task and do your job,” Elliss said.
The Falcons have been stout against the run. They hadn’t allowed a running back to score a touchdown until Sunday against the Colts.
“It’s awesome to see; (having a stout run defense is) something that we wanted to do,” Elliss said. “All offseason we talked about doing it and to come out and let the rubber meet the road and get it done this year so far. Obviously, there always moments that we felt we could have done better against the run. This is a week where we’ll be challenged heavily, and we’re excited for it.”
Fields has rushed 105 times for 585 yards and three touchdowns.
“Just contain the quarterback really,” Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie said. “We have to affect the quarterback. He’s pretty much the main piece of the offense. We really have to contain him as much as possible.”
In the Falcons’ 27-24 win over the Bears last season, Fields rushed 18 times for 85 yards.
“They are going to try to run the ball,” Ebiketie said. “They have three good backs. They are going to try to control the game with tempo. It will come down to us and doing a good job containing the quarterback and not letting him kind of extend those plays.”
The secondary will play a role in run support.
“First and foremost, we just have to stop the run,” Terrell said. “Play team defense. ... Keep Justin in the box and not let him scramble. Get off the field on the third down.”
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