Fixing the ground game was a clear priority for the Chicago Bears during their Week 5 bye, and over the subsequent two games, it paid off in both efficiency (5.5 yards per carry) and volume (67 attempts).
In Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bears' run game reverted to what it looked like in the first month of the season, with 96 yards on 23 attempts. D'Andre Swift extended his touchdown streak to three games, but he went a noticeable time without a carry as he and Kyle Monangai combined for just 18 carries.
The Bears' overall offensive struggles against Baltimore, trailing in the game, and Swift's injury report listing a groin issue were factors in the lack of rush volume. But ideally, they would have been able to do more on the ground against a defense that had been vulnerable.
Monangai has earned a bigger role lately, topping a 40 percent snap share in back-to-back games entering Week 9. Over that span, he has 20 carries to Swift's 30. Swift being banged up has probably played some role in Monangai seeing more work, but the rookie out of Rutgers has also earned it as the Bears shift toward the kind of backfield dynamic Ben Johnson had in Detroit.
New stat shows why Kyle Monangai has earned (and will continue to have) a notable role
Ian Hartitz of Fantasy Life is an easy go-to for unique outside the box thinking in the football and fantasy football space. With that in mind he has unveiled a stat he created called "cool s**t", which takes a running back's total touchdowns, explosive plays and tackles avoided and divides that number by their carries and targets.
Hartitz then narrowed to running backs with at least 50 opportunities (carries and targets) this season to create a credible sample, and Monangai lands eighth in "cool s**t" rate at 39.2 percent. The seven backs above Monangai include some of the best running backs in the league this season (No. 1-Jonathan Taylor, No. 2-Bijan Robinson, No. 5-James Cook, No. 7-Jahmyr Gibbs).
Not to be discounted, Swift is 32nd out of 46 on that list of backs with 50 or more opportunities with a 26.6 percent "cool s**t" rate.
Read more: Rome Odunze wants to dabble in role Bears fans would love and hate simultaneously
As long as Swift is on the field, the touch split in the Bears' backfield will favor him. But Monangai has rightly narrowed that gap lately, and it's nice when fresh information tells us it's a sustainably good thing.