Ty Montgomery Ruled Out vs. Bears with Rib Injury After Aaron Jones Left Game

The Green Bay Packers' already-thin backfield took another hit Sunday against the Chicago Bears, as running back Ty Montgomery was ruled out for the game after suffering an injury to his ribs.

Starter Aaron Jones was ruled out earlier in the game after suffering a leg injury. Montgomery broke off a 37-yard touchdown run and had 54 yards on six carries in addition to 14 yards on two catches. 

The Packers felt comfortable enough with Montgomery at running back after he won the job in the 2016 season to hand him the reins entering 2017 as well, though Jones overtook him in recent weeks.

Green Bay selected Montgomery with the No. 94 overall pick in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft out of Stanford as a wide receiver.

After playing a bit role as a rookie, Montgomery moved to running back out of necessity last season following injuries to Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

It didn't take Montgomery long to get acclimated to the position, as he finished the campaign with 457 yards and three touchdowns on the ground along with a 5.9 yards-per-carry average, as well as 44 receptions for 348 yards.

The Packers allowed Lacy to leave via free agency and did little to address the running back position aside from drafting a few backs in the middle-to-late rounds.

That decision came with risk since Montgomery had yet to prove that he could be a bell-cow back capable of remaining healthy and handling 20 touches per game.

The first sign of trouble came in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears when Montgomery exited early due to a rib injury.

Although Montgomery worked his way back into the lineup, there was cause for concern since rib injuries can linger, especially among players who take a lot of hits such as running backs.

Now that Montgomery is potentially on the shelf again, the Packers could be forced to dip into their backfield reserves. Jamaal Williams and Devante Mays should figure more prominently into the mix. 

Green Bay's offense is already in difficult shape without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the potential of Montgomery landing on the shelf takes another major weapon out of the equation.