SEATTLE — On Monday, on the other side of the country, Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu told reporters in Minneapolis that he likes to drive to the basket the same way a running back carries the ball. The former Bull, a longtime Chicago-born Bears fan, was then asked if he ever tried to imitate the Bears’ D’Andre Swift.
No, he joked — he looks more like former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
While Dosunmu tried to score points with his new city, Swift scored three touchdowns in the Bears’ 34-17 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks at Lumen Field on “Monday Night Football.”
He wasn’t flashy, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry with no runs exceeding seven yards, but he continued to be the metronome to which the Bears’ offense is calibrated.
Quarterback Caleb Williams’ jump in his third NFL season doesn’t happen without Swift’s stability. The defense doesn’t stay fresh without the Bears controlling the clock with their running game, which has contributed to their best time of possession in the league. And coach Ben Johnson’s creativity only unleashes if he can trust his running back.
“I know he didn’t have a lot of yards, but 27 attempts and three touchdowns — every yard was gained by him,” Johnson said. “These are difficult projects to overcome. »
The Seahawks entered Monday’s game with the fewest total yards per game in the NFL and the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game. Swift passed for three touchdowns for only the second time in his career, giving him a whopping 10 this season. The last Bears running back to be able to say that in eight games was Rick Casares in 1956.
Swift also had a rushing touchdown in his fourth straight game for the second time in his Bears career. The last Bear to do this was Neal Anderson, most recently in 1990.
And while invoking that name may be sacrilege, the fact is nonetheless true: Swift has more rushing touchdowns this season than Walter Payton in eight of his 13 seasons with the Bears.
“We just came into the game with the mindset that we’re just going to take our four yards as far as the running game,” right tackle Darnell Wright said. “And then when the defense opens up the passing game, we look to Caleb and the receivers and how they play.”
Johnson insisted the Bears continued to fight even after Swift entered the locker room at halftime with just 11 carries for 26 yards and no touchdowns. In the second half, he had 16 carries for 43 yards and three touchdowns.
“Thanks to Ben for holding the race against a great opponent,” Swift said. “(The Seahawks) made it difficult. When we got to the red zone, (the) O-line (and) the receivers did their job.”
Earlier in the season, the red zone was a weakness for the Bears. But on Monday, they scored touchdowns four times when they crossed the Seahawks’ 20-yard line. They had gone 3-for-4 the previous week against the Patriots and 2-for-3 in Williams’ return against the Falcons in Atlanta.
Swift’s workload could decrease whenever the Bears get Kyle Monangai back. He seemed to be their favorite short yardage guy before suffering a toe injury against the Jets in Week 4.
But Swift has been adept in his absence. In the four games Monangai missed, Swift threw a staggering seven touchdown passes, the best in the league. (Only six running backs in the NFL have passed for more than seven touchdowns all season.) He ranks 12th in the league with 68.1 rushing yards per game.
More importantly, he hasn’t fumbled since he was benched late in the Jets game for losing his second fumble of the season.
He threw as many touchdowns in half a Monday as any Bears running back or wide receiver all year combined.
“We had our work cut out for us,” Swift said. “I’m just proud of the way we fought through all three phases.”
Gn sports
