Buccaneers Run Defense Chasing History vs. Bears

Tampa Bay could own one of the top five rushing defenses of all time through seven games with a stout performance against Chicago.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the status of Bears running back Damien Williams.

If the Buccaneers can hold the Bears to 91 rushing yards or fewer on Sunday, Tampa Bay's 2021 rushing defense will cement itself in the NFL history books as one of the league's most dominant units against the run through seven games of a season.

Should the Buccaneers accomplish this feat, they'll be the fourth team to do so since 1950, joining the 1995 San Francisco 49ers (49.9 rushing yards allowed per game), the 1991 New Orleans Saints (52.1), the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (57.9) and the 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers (58.9). Tampa Bay has allowed 54.8 rushing yards per game this year, which would rank third among these five historical teams.

The @Buccaneers entered Week 7 leading the league in run defense, limiting their opponents to 54.8 rushing yards per game.

They can become the 5th team since 1950 to allow opponents to fewer than 60 rushing yards per game through their first 7 games of a season. pic.twitter.com/0wNK2ev9xv

— NFL345 (@NFL345) October 23, 2021

The good news for Tampa Bay as it approaches this milestone is that Chicago, who owns the league's No. 7 rushing offense, will be without its top running back in David Montgomery (injury), while backup Damien Williams missed Week 6 and practice this week while on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Williams was activated on Saturday and is expected to play, but surely will have some rust to shake off having not practiced.

Rookie Khalil Herbert has filled in nicely over the past two weeks with 97-yard and 75-yard outings against Green Bay and Las Vegas, respectively, but neither the Packers nor the Raiders' run defenses are nearly as sturdy as Tampa Bay's.

Tampa Bay's run defense under Todd Bowles has been considered the best in the NFL for going on three years, However, the 2021 unit has a chance to be considered more than great - it's on a path to being considered historically elite.

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.