Chicago Bears D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were ‘electric’ as they combined for 255 rushing yards

The Chicago Bears could hardly get anything going in the passing game at windy Lincoln Financial Field, so the Bears’ success or failure would come down to the run.

Philadelphia Eagles defenders knew it, and they couldn’t do anything about it.

The rushing game systematically dismantled the defending Super Bowl champions to the tune of 281 rushing yards in a 24-15 victory in front of a national TV audience on Friday.

D’Andre Swift (22 carries for 130 yards) and Kyle Monangai (18 for 125) combined for 255 rushing yards, becoming the first Bears teammates to top 100 yards on the ground since Walter Payton (107) and Matt Suhey (102) did it on Nov. 10, 1985, against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.

“That’s amazing,” Swift said. “That’s a great stat to have.

“I didn’t even know what the numbers looked like until they told us. … That’s hats off to the O-line. I can’t say that enough, the job that we are doing up front, our receivers block downfield, man, they make our job so much easier.

“We’re starting to click at the right time.”

Monagai said, “It’s an honor to even be in that company in the same sentence as a team as great as that, and a person, a running back, as great as that.”

The Bears tallied 84 yards in the first quarter, tied for the second-most by a team in a game this season. They had a 100-yard third quarter, when Monangai ran seven times for 71 yards (10.1 average).

Swift had four carries for 45 yards in the second, an 11.3 average.

Boosted by a power running game, the Bears dominated time of possession 39:18 to 20:42.

Seventeen of the Bears’ 28 first downs came via the run.

“I don’t think we win the game if we don’t run the ball like we were,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “Both the backs, over 100 yards, (were) just outstanding. You could feel decisiveness, you could feel them hitting it downhill. They turned on the gas, and they were lowering their shoulders too.”

He credited the offensive line for coming up “huge” in what became a mostly one-dimensional game plan.

“We knew what we had to do,” Jonah Jackson said. “We trust ourselves so whatever play’s called to open things up and get the run game going.”

Johnson added, “It’s a frustrating game if you were a pass catcher because those conditions were challenging for us to get some consistency going.”

Quarterback Caleb Williams, who completed 17 of 36 passes for 154 yards, said, “When it came down to it, we put the ball in the running backs’ hands and they were electric for us.”

The offensive line opened gaping holes for the backs. Swift put shifty moves on second-level defenders on inside runs or cutbacks off Darnell Wright’s blocks on outside runs.

Monangai simply bowled tacklers over at times after meeting little or no resistance at the line of scrimmage.

The rookie ripped one for 31 yards in the third quarter, emblematic of the day Eagles run defenders were having.

Johnson went with the hot hands, plural, and was unabashed about calling run after run — 47 run plays in all.

“That’s demoralizing to the opposing team,” Swift said.

“We’ve got elite backs,” Williams said. “We have an elite offensive line, and we have an elite wide receiver group that is willing to go put themselves out there and block for the betterment of the team.”

Swift and Monangai also accounted for two of the Bears’ three touchdowns, both on rushes.

The Bears were first on the board with Swift’s 3-yard touchdown run, cutting upfield off Jackson’s seal inside as Cole Kmet led him through the gap.

“Throughout the flow of the game, how they kept playing, we knew we were going to have a couple creases, (and) you had to hit it,” Swift said of his cutbacks.

Asked if it felt a little sweeter because his performance came against his former team, where he played in 2023 before the Eagles moved on to Saquon Barkley, who had 56 yards on 13 carries.

“Uh,” Swift paused. “Yeah. For sure.”

Monangai’s touchdown drive began with five straight runs and finished with him carrying eight times in a 12-play drive, including his four-yard tote to the end zone to put the Bears up 17-9 with 12:53 left in the fourth quarter.

“O-line got them to move horizontally, ’backers were flowing, I kind of just hit the crease,” he said. “We’re probably, like, well within the 10-yard line, so not a lot of room to go, safeties were down low, (and I) tried to make one miss and run a guy over, and I was able to.”

Monangai did a little celebration.

“It was a little tribute to Philly, it was a Philly dance called toprocking,” he said. “I told my cousins I’d do it, so I did it.”