Bears gearing up to face Falcons’ Patterson

Patterson opened the 2022 campaign by running for 120 yards and one TD on 22 carries against the Saints. Two weeks later, he gained 141 yards and one TD on 17 attempts versus the Seahawks. He missed the next four games with a knee injury, but returned to action Nov. 6 and has played in the Falcons’ last two contests, rushing for 62 yards and two TDs on 18 carries.

“He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s physical,” Williams said. “He can catch the football. He has different elements in there. They put him in the backfield and he runs inside, he runs outside, he runs powers. It’s not one thing where you say, ‘hey, when he’s in there, he’s going to be running perimeter runs.’ He runs them all, so you have to defend him like a running back. And then when they put him out wide, you have to defend him like a receiver.”

Patterson is a key reason the Falcons rank fourth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 160.4 yards per game. He also remains a dangerous kickoff returner, averaging 28.0 yards on four returns this season. Last Thursday night he returned three kickoffs for 88 yards against the Panthers. Patterson’s eight career kickoff-return TDs remain tied for the most in NFL history with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.

“The one thing about Patterson is he is going to bring the ball out,” said Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. “Patterson is a phenomenal athlete. He’s one of the best players to ever do it. We have a challenge kicking off there, but it’s a good challenge and I think Cairo [Santos] is up for the challenge.”