Monangai is out Thursday. Roschon Johnson gets the call.

Kyle Monangai has been ruled out for Thursday night against the Patriots with toe and thumb injuries, which means the Bears are turning to their third running back option in six weeks. Roschon Johnson steps into the featured role behind D'Andre Swift, who remains active but has been the only reliable back all season.

Johnson has been around. He's logged time this year — 149 rushing yards and a touchdown across six games — but almost entirely in a complementary role. The drop from Swift to anyone else on this roster is steep, and Thursday's game will test how much of the offense Chicago can run through Williams and the passing game if the ground attack stalls.

T.J. Edwards is also listed as Doubtful for Thursday, which adds another layer of concern on the defensive side. The Bears won last week in Atlanta and are riding a one-game winning streak into a short week. The Patriots will be shorthanded on their offensive line — Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ben Brown are both out — so there's an opening there. But Chicago is patching holes on both sides of the ball heading into a game they need.