Kyle Monangai's Breakout Game Won't Be A Fluke

Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai made his first career start in Sunday's thrilling 47-42 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. D'Andre Swift was ruled out with a groin injury. Monangai took full advantage of his opportunity.

Monangai rushed for 176 yards via 26 carries. The seventh-round choice averaged an effective 6.8 yards per carry. Monangai also added three receptions and 22 receptions to his offensive totals, bringing his offensive output to 198 yards.

It was the most single-game yards by a Bears running back since Matt Forte in 2011, according to Jacob Infante. Head coach Ben Johnson must keep Monangai involved even when Swift is healthy. The former Rutgers standout has earned a recurring role moving forward.

Monangai's longest rush gained 39 yards. He displayed excellent vision, changing directions as new creases opened at the second level. He also ran through several arm tackles.

Monangai's 176 rushing yards were a position-high number in Week 9. Despite his success, a struggling Bengals defense did not sell out to stop him. Monangai only faced eight-plus defenders in the box on 11.54% of his attempts, per Next Gen Stats, sixth-fewest among RBs on Sunday. Johnson also did a great job spreading out his personnel and running from different offensive alignments, forcing the Bengals to match personnel with light boxes.

Unsurprisingly, Monangai also ran for a Week 9-leading 59 rushing yards over expected (RYOE). The No. 233 overall selection in 2025 averaged nearly 2.5 yards over expected per attempt.

Toughness was a routine trait of Monangai's at Rutgers and it was evident against the Bengals on Sunday. On this 12-play scoring drive near halftime, Monangai took a carry for 19 yards. The hard-nosed ball-carrier keeps his legs churning through contact, forcing the Bengals to gang-tackle him.

Monangai had a positive EPA (Expected Points Added) of 8.1, according to RBSDM. His EPA was 0.30 per play. Johnson's offense was most efficient and dangerous when handing Monangai the football in the backfield.

Monangai played 74% of the Bears' offensive snaps. He was a true workhorse, earning 29 total touches. His 176 rushing yards were also the second-most in a single-game showing for a seventh-round rookie since 2000 (Bryce Brown, 2012), per Jacob Gibbs.

Monangai is producing like a late-round steal for Bears general manager Ryan Poles. A total of 21 running backs were selected ahead of Monangai. There were not 21 better ball-carrying prospects.

The Bears could seriously consider keeping Monangai in the lead-back role. Swift has been inconsistent under Johnson this campaign and is a potential offseason cap casualty. There should be a legitimate competition for carries between Monangai and Swift.

Monangai maximized a spot-start to produce historic numbers. The Bears' offense exploded versus the Bengals and Monangai played a huge part. He established a role.