Bears’ No. 1 rushing attack takes hit with running back Khalil Herbert placed on IR with hip injury

A hip injury will sideline Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert for a minimum of four games, the team announced.

Herbert is the Bears’ second-leading rusher with 643 yards on the season. The Bears’ rushing attacking, ranked first in the NFL with an average of over 201 yards per game, also features second-year quarterback Justin Fields and running back David Montgomery.

Herbert also handles kickoff return duties for Chicago and suffered the hip injury while returning a kick in a Week 10 loss to the Lions.

Herbert is sixth in the league with an average of 6 yards per carry.

The Baltimore Ravens are averaging 168.1 rushing yards per game, good for the second in the league. The Giants are the third-ranked running team with 164.8 yards per game followed by the Falcons with 160.4 yards per game.

The Bears travel to Atlanta this week to play the Falcons in what will be somewhat of a homecoming for Justin Fields. 

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Fields grew up just outside Atlanta and played quarterback at the University of Georgia before transferring to Ohio State.

Even with the loss of Herbert, Fields is likely to remain the team’s primary running threat. The second-year quarterback is having an exceptional year running the football.

In Week 9, the 23-year-old broke Michael Vick’s regular-season single-game record with 178 rushing yards in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Fields also became the first quarterback in NFL history with three touchdown passes and at least 140 rushing yards in a game, according to CBS.

In other roster moves, the Bears waived defensive lineman Kingsley Jonathan and claimed defensive back Justin Layne off waivers from the Giants.

The Bears (3-7) have lost six of their last seven games. The Falcons (4-6) are on a two-game losing streak.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.