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RB Cedric Benson, Chicago Bears

HT: 6-0, WT: 225, Born: 12-28-1982, College: Texas, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 4

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Benson's game ended much the same way his 2006 season ended: with a whimper. In just his second career start, he looked a bit jittery. He dropped a screen pass early in the second quarter, which was perhaps telling in that he only saw one more passing target the rest of the way. If Benson is to get those all-important receiving totals to boost his yardage, he's going to need to hold onto the passes he does see. At times, Benson appeared to be running slow, and was tentative to hit the hole. A lot of that could have something to do with the San Diego front seven getting a great push all game long, but Benson just didn't appear able to make things happen on his own. He also lost a fumble, which didn't seem to bother the coaches as much as one might have thought. He carried for five yards on the very next offensive play for Chicago. Additionally, his lost fumble wasn't nearly as costly as Adrian Peterson's late in the game, so for now at least it probably isn't an issue as far as future playing time. Benson's poor afternoon ended with him being stuffed on a fourth and one carry late in the fourth quarter as Chicago tried getting back into the game. Again, Peterson had previously been stuffed on third and short so it's not as if the backup was doing anything the starter could not.

Week 2 - Benson was effective carrying the load for the Bears offense. He consistently found room to run, gaining good yardage to keep the chains moving and allowing the Bears to control the clock. He looked to be running tougher this week answering some critics that had questioned him there. Although some of that was the different defenses.

Week 3 - Benson rushed for 29 yards on Chicago's first two drives, but would only pick up an additional 17 yards on the ground during the remainder of the game. His touchdown run came from one yard out on the Bears' first drive of the second half. Benson's lost fumble came late in the third quarter at the Chicago 45 yard line after Dallas had pushed the score to 17--10. Dallas would turn the turnover into a Nick Folk field goal.

Week 4 - Benson only averaged 3.3 yards per carry, but also caught five passes for 24 more yards. If this becomes a trend Benson's value in PPR leagues will improve. Still, he has to improve because Chicago does not have a quarterback who can win games on his own. The Bears are looking to Benson to become the guy who can carry the team on his back.

Week 5 - Benson had a season high 27 carries, but only managed 64 yards out of them, a 2.4 yards per carry average. He had a nice ten yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Benson continued to show little creativity with his running, but there also didn't seem to be very many holes for him to run through. His numerous carries were good for the Bears in maintaining offensive and clock-control balance throughout the game, and despite a lack of explosiveness, Benson's work on the ground was vital. It was a play action pass that won the game for the Bears, and it was set up by numerous Benson runs to that point. Despite his perceived ineffectiveness, it is clear that the Bears will continue to hand Benson the ball frequently.

Week 6 - Benson was utilized out of the backfield more than in previous weeks, but continued to exit the game in favor of Adrian Peterson on third downs and obvious passing situations. On the ground, Benson was able to break a few tackles and run with power, but averaged just 3.7 yard per carry and was kept out of the end zone.

Week 7 - Benson had another mediocre outing, rushing the ball 17 times for 46 yards (2.7 ypc average) with a long run of just nine yards for the game. Early on, Benson seemed to have a little spring in his step, but seemed to get more tentative hitting the hole as the game went on. He was targeted once in the passing game, catching one pass for 19 yards.

Week 8 - Benson looked unimpressive again early on in the game. He did have a nice nine yard run in the first quarter, but only added eight more yards on four other carries in the quarter. He finished the half with ten carries for 29 yards as the Loins did a good job of containing the Chicago run game.

Benson's longest carry of the game came on a nice 12 yard run up the middle early in the fourth quarter. He only had nine more yards in the second half as the Bears' running game never got on track. Even though Benson didn't look good in the game, the Chicago blockers really struggled to hold blocks as there was few holes for Benson.

Week 10 - Cedric Benson struggled finding room in the Oakland defense, running the ball 29 times for just 76 yards (a 2.6 ypc average) for the game. He just doesn't seem to make the quick, decisive cuts required to have success running the ball in the NFL. His mediocre running aside, Benson did add the game-clinching touchdown, scoring on a three yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Benson did contribute in the passing game, catching two passes for 21 yards on two targets.

Week 11 - Benson started off with a 43 yard scamper into the end zone, followed it up with a 20 yard run, and then quieted down a bit. The Bears seemed to take a page from the Seahawks playbook and passed far more than they ran. Despite the limited touches, it was a good day for him.

Week 12 - Benson got off to a hot start for the second week in a row, but potentially suffered a serious ankle injury as he was tackled from behind. The injury could cause him to miss some time.

Week 13 - Cedric Benson was inactive for this game and has been placed on the Bears injured reserve due to a fractured left leg.