"Running back Kahlil Bell is set to make just his second career start against the Bears' biggest rival.

Veteran Marion Barber is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Packers in Green Bay with a calf injury, according to a league source. That leaves Bell as the primary ball carrier because Matt Forte still is sidelined with a sprained right knee.

Coach Lovie Smith expressed confidence in Bell as the starter.

"There are bigger concerns I have, and Kahlil is not one of them,'' Smith said Thursday. "I vividly remember his first carry he had at Soldier Field (a franchise-rookie record 72-yard run). I see him every day in practice going against our No. 1 defense."