Ben Johnson details Bears’ run-game impact in Week 13 win over Eagles

Ben Johnson kept calling run plays because he could.

The Chicago Bears established their dominance on the ground against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 24-15 victory at Lincoln Financial Field. Johnson’s offense finished the game with 281 rushing yards, the team’s second-highest rushing total this season.

D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai each finished with over 100 rushing yards, which is the first time that has happened since the 985 season when Walter Payton and Matt Suhey each eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the team’s win over the Detroit Lions.

Although Johnson wasn’t watching the Eagles’ body language when he called run after run, he did get a sense of what his offense was doing to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.

“I do feel the fours (four-yard rushes), the sixes, the eights, they add up,’ Johnson said. “And then, our players come to the sideline and they’re calling for it a little bit. I hear our O-line coach harping a little bit, ‘Run the damn ball.’ You know, that type of thing. And so, I hear it, I feel it, I see it. As a playcaller, you try to adjust, and like I said before, I’ll do whatever it takes to win the ball game, score points, and if that’s to throw it 50 times, we’ll do that. If it’s run it 50 times, we’ll do that. So, we’re a little bit more run-oriented here this past week.”

The Bears ended with 47 runs, and Caleb Williams attempted 36 passes. Chicago’s run game consistently found ways to exploit the Eagles’ run defense, which is headlined by some of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Johnson’s run scheme features plenty of pre-snap motion from the receivers and tight ends, making it difficult for a defense to hone in on their respective assignments. Veteran tight end Cole Kmet noticed how the Bears’ run game impacted the Eagles.

“You could feel them kind of wearing out as the game went on,” Kmet said. “When you’ve got so many moving parts like we do and so many different personnels, it’s definitely hard to keep up. It feels like once we really get that first first-down of the series for us, it feels like we’re running downhill from there. So yeah, you could definitely feel them starting to get tired and worn out throughout the course of the game. I think we ended up running 80-something plays in the game. It’s definitely hard for those defenders to be out there for that long.”

Time of possession was one-sided in Chicago’s favor, 39:18 to 20:42, a direct reflection of how efficiently the Bears ran the football.

Going into the Week 13 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the Bears are second in the league in total rushing yards at 1,846. Only the Buffalo Bills have more yards on the ground (1,868).

The run game has helped the Bears to secure a 9-3 record and first place in the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With the Packers, 49ers and Lions still left on the schedule, Chicago will have to continue relying on its run game to help the team close out the 2025 regular season.

“It’s a creative, fun run scheme to be part of,” Kmet said. “But at the end of the day, it is predicated off of physicality and finish. At the core, that’s what football is.”

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