It's beautiful when a plan comes together. The Chicago Bears are rolling after notching their fourth consecutive victory with a dominant win over the New Orleans Saints. Ben Johnson's offense was clicking, especially on the ground.
Rookie running back Kyle Monangai was a huge part of his team's success. The seventh-round draft pick has had a slow start this year, taking time to work his way into the lineup.
He finally got his opportunity today, and he made the most of it.
Kyle Monangai finally has the breakout Bears fans have waited for
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, there was almost an assumption that the Bears would use one of their early selections on a running back. It was a clear area of need, and there were plenty of intriguing prospects at the position. Instead, Chicago waited until the seventh round to take a back, drafting Monangai out of Rutgers.
While late-round picks rarely make an immediate impact in the league, fans expected the rookie to have a role early in the season. He quickly overtook Roschon Johnson as the team's second running back, but the opportunities weren't coming in the opening weeks. Through five games, he had just 22 carries for 81 yards and hadn't been able to find the endzone. D'Andre Swift was the clear leader in the backfield, earning the majority of the snaps and touches.
But Monangai enjoyed a breakout performance against New Orleans. He doubled his season rushing yardage total, gaining 81 yards on 13 carries. He even had a rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to help put the game away. His 24-yard breakaway carry was the longest run of the day for either team.
Swift was still the lead back, and he had a big day himself with over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. But, instead of being a one-man show, the two backs worked in tandem to lead a dominant rushing attack. The Bears ran for over 200 total yards, marking their best performance of the season on the ground. Even though Caleb Williams struggled to get the passing game going, he was able to lean on Monangai and Swift to carry the offense forward.
Read more: Ben Johnson's six-word response to how Bears defeated Saints in Week 7
Hopefully, the rookie's electric performance is a sign of things to come. While likely to a lesser degree, he and Swift could become some version of the dynamic running back duo Johnson had in Detroit. Monangai's breakout is just fuel to the fire of Bears fans' energy early in the season.