Bears' David Montgomery Out 4-5 Weeks With Sprained Knee: Report

Chicago IL

05 October, 2021

11:12 AM

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CHICAGO – At a time when the Chicago Bears can't afford any more question marks than already exist at quarterback, their running game took a major hit on Tuesday, according to a published report. David Montgomery, the team's leading rusher, will miss 4-5 week with a sprained left knee, ESPN reported on Tuesday. While the injury is not season-ending as many feared when Montgomery left Sunday's 24-14 win over the Detroit Lions, the news isn't great for a team that faces a difficult stretch of games ahead. Montgomery rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's win but needed help leaving the field after sustaining the injury in the fourth quarter. Coach Matt Nagy said Sunday that he did not know the extent of the injury and would need to wait until the results of an MRI came back. Per source, tests showed Bears RB David Montgomery has a knee sprain that's expected to keep him out 4-5 weeks. Not season-ending, but Bears will be without their starting RB for a while.— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) October 5, 2021 The NFL Network reported Sunday that the injury appeared to be a hyperextension of his knee, which would not be considered that serious. Nagy said after Sunday's win that Montgomery "looked fine" in the locker room after the game. By Monday, Nagy had shifted to wait-and-see mode. The Bears have not released any official information about the injury as of early Tuesday afternoon. "(Montgomery) played a really good game, and he knew going into it that we were going to be leaning on him and relying on him, so now we've just got to see where it goes," Nagy told reporters on Monday. "But at the same point in time, in any sports world, it's the next-man-up mentality. So if that's the case we'll get our guys ready. That's our job as coaches to now be able to game-plan around that." Montgomery has provided stability to a Bears offense that has operated under quarterbacks Justin Fields and Andy Dalton this season. Dalton injured his knee in a win against the Bengals, which forced Fields into action faster than the Bears expected. After Fields picked up his first victory as the Bears starting quarterback Sunday against Detroit, Nagy said Monday that Dalton will regain the starting duties once he is healthy. So far this season Montgomery gained 309 yards on 69 carries and three touchdowns and has six catches for 49 yards. He has run for at least 100 rushing yards in two games, including on Sunday. With Montgomery out, veteran Damien Williams is expected to get the start Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Williams, who has a bruised thigh, but is expected to be healthy by Sunday, registered 711 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns for the Chiefs in 2019, which is his last full season. He is averaging 4.6 yards per carry this season. The Bears have tough games upcoming against the Raiders, the rival Green Bay Packers, defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers.