The Bears met the Eagles on Black Friday for a fairly important game that will impact the NFC playoff picture; Chicago and Philadelphia both entered the day leading the NFC North and NFC East, respectively. It wound up an ugly contest that slanted mostly in the Bears’ favor thanks to a very effective rushing attack that not even the Eagles’ very talented defensive front could stop.
It also led to a 24-15 win for the Bears and some historic rushing stats for the organization.
Ben Johnson’s offense was clicking so well that the Bears hit a franchise milestone not seen in decades. With running backs Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift both reaching over 100 yards rushing individually, Chicago boasted two 100-yard rushers in one game for the first time since Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did so for the team back in 1985. Payton and Suhey did their damage in a 24–3 win over the Lions. Curiously neither player scored a touchdown despite gashing the opposing defense, which was most certainly not the case in 2025. Monangai and Swift recorded a touchdown each.
It was a massively successful day for the Bears on the ground and the primary reason they won the day. The offensive line pushed the Eagles around all day and it seemed like Johnson had Philly coordinator Vic Fangio grasping at straws most downs. Monangai and Swift both played tremendously well; Caleb Williams, conversely, only threw for 154 yards on 17 completions. Chicago rode the ground game to a huge victory.
The Bears came close to hitting another big milestone too. With about two minutes remaining they had a total of 285 yards on the day, which would have been the biggest rushing stat line for Chicago since 1984. But then Monangai lost a few yards on a run as the Bears were trying to kill clock. Williams’s final kneel-down kept the total rushing yards to 281 in the win over Philadelphia—still a remarkably productive game, but not the best in decades in the same way Monangai and Swift’s combined performance was.
The Bears are now 9-3 and hold sole possession of the NFC North. The Eagles fall to 8-4 and face many questions about their status as Super Bowl contenders. What a day.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears Hit Franchise Milestone Not Seen Since Walter Payton With Rushing Attack vs. Eagles.
