Caleb Williams' dart to rookie tight end Colston Loveland, and Loveland's run after the catch for a 58-yard touchdown will play on Bears highlight reels forever, and deservedly so. The team's 47-42 win over the Bengals was as wild as they come.
But the team would've never been in a position to win if not for the significant career firsts that several Bears enjoyed in critical moments for the team. Some are obvious and will be well celebrated around water coolers across the country. Others are less obvious, but equally important.
Here are the important firsts that Bears achieved in their crazy Week 9 win.
Kyle Monangai - First start
Monangai, a rookie drafted in the seventh round, got the nod as the team's starting running back with typical starter D'Andre Swift sidelined due to a groin injury. Monangai had big shoes to fill as Swift's 656 total yards from scrimmage led the entire team, and he did not disappoint.
Monangai carried the ball 26 times for 176 yards and caught three passes for 22 more yards. His 196 total yards accounted for over one-third of the team's total net yards. Monangai never seemed to go down at first contact, made significant cuts to avoid defenders, and helped the Bears control the game for the majority of the day. An awe-inspiring performance from the rookie, not only starting for the first time, but working as the focal point of the offense.
Brittain Brown - First....pretty much everything
The Bears were also without backup running back Roschon Johnson, so on Saturday, they elevated Brown from the practice squad to the active roster. Like Monangai, Brown was a seventh-round draft pick, but unlike Monangai, he was drafted in 2022 (by the Las Vegas Raiders). Before Sunday, Brown had only appeared in six games and had only played special teams. He had never taken the field on offense.
That all changed in the second quarter when Brown checked in and was targeted by a Caleb Williams pass. Brown actually touched the ball one quarter later when Monangai checked out of the game following a three-yard carry. Brown took a second-and-seven handoff six yards to set up a third-and-one play. Ben Johnson went right back to Brown, and Brown delivered a first down. For his efforts, Brown was rewarded with another carry on first-and-10, and this time Brown took it all the way for a touchdown.
First offensive snap, first carry, first touchdown. A day Brown will certainly never forget, and an essential series for the Bears, who ended up winning by five.
Austin Booker - First forced fumble
The Bears hoped Booker would take a step in his development as a rotational pass rusher this year, but a knee injury kept him out of the first seven games of the season. He finally made his 2025 debut, and it came at a perfect time with fellow pass rusher Dominique Robinson sidelined due to an ankle injury he suffered last week.
As you can guess by the 47-42 score, the game felt like it was going to be won by whoever made a single defensive play first. Booker made that play on the first snap of the fourth quarter.
He one-armed Orlando Brown, threw Brown into the ground, then hit Flacco and knocked the ball loose. Gervon Dexter recovered the fumble and set up a Bears field goal drive. It gave the Bears considerable momentum before the furious Bengals comeback.
Colston Loveland - First touchdown, first game-winning touchdown
Tight end is notoriously one of the hardest positions for rookies to learn in the NFL, since the position calls for so many different responsibilities between blocking and pass catching. Still, Bears fans hoped Loveland would have produced more than the 11 catches and 116 yards he mustered in his previous six games, considering the team selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft. There were murmurs about his lack of scoring nearly halfway through the season.
Loveland quieted that buzz when he finally scored his first NFL touchdown in the third quarter. Loveland got open on a third-and-six play in a goal-to-go situation, Williams hit him with a laser throw, and the Bears went up 24-20.
In the end, Loveland caught six passes on seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in every category.
Read more: Kevin Byard was every Bears fan before Colston Loveland's game-winner vs. Bengals
Of course, Loveland saved the best for last with an incredible run after catch to give the Bears the lead for good with just 17 seconds to go on a 58-yard touchdown. Exactly what Bears envisioned when they picked him, and exactly what they needed on Sunday.