Montgomery sparkles after scare on tackle
Bears running back David Montgomery crashed headfirst into the Soldier Field turf in the second quarter Sunday, driven down by Giants defensive end B.J. Hill after being flipped up in the air by defensive tackle Austin Johnson.
Suddenly surrounded by trainers, Montgomery tried to move his neck.
‘‘When it happened, it was kind of scary,’’ he said. ‘‘I knew I was fine when I was able to move my neck. I was still conscious. I was fine.’’
By the start of the third quarter, he was back in the game.
And by the end of the fourth, Montgomery was the Bears’ leading rusher and receiver. He finished with 16 carries for 82 yards and three catches for 45 more, including a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mitch Trubisky in which he ran through half the Giants’ team after catching a pass on the right flank.
‘‘Mitch was beginning to scramble, and I was able to get in his vision, throw my hands up,’’ said Montgomery, who posted triple-digit yards from scrimmage for only the third time in his career. ‘‘He trusted me, and I made a play from there.’’
Perhaps even more impressive was Montgomery’s running on the Bears’ final drive.
With the Bears milking the clock with 7:36 left and a fourpoint lead, Montgomery started the possession with an 11-yard run. On the next play, he ran for 10. He got nine more three plays later, only for right guard Germain Ifedi to be whistled for an illegal chop block. That put the Bears at first-and-25 from their 41 before Montgomery ripped off a run for 23 yards.
He was stuffed on his next three runs, though, and the Bears missed a 50-yard field goal.
‘‘I liked that part of the offense in regards to being able to run the football,’’ coach Matt Nagy said. ‘‘But we have to, at that point in time right there, be able to score a field goal at minimum to be able to make it at least a seven-point game.’’
For the second consecutive week, the Bears’ running game looked dangerous. Montgomery credited his blockers.
‘‘Just get hands on guys and get down the field,’’ he said. ‘‘Those guys are being way more aggressive. And it’s a lot less thinking, so it’s definitely an exciting thing that we know we can run the ball when we have to.’’
“WHEN IT HAPPENED, IT WAS KIND OF SCARY. I KNEW I WAS FINE WHEN I WAS ABLE TO MOVE MY NECK. I WAS STILL CONSCIOUS. I WAS FINE.” DAVID MONTGOMERY