The Magnificent 7

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 24-15 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field:

1. Kyle Monangai

Of all the pieces general manager Ryan Poles drafted with Johnson's offense in mind, it's the seventh-round pick, Monangai, who looks most like he was tailor-made for this offense. His second and third effort set the tone early — even when he was stopped short on fourth-and-1 — and from the start he gave the Bears the ground game they needed to control the ball and the game. He finished with 22 carries for 130 yards and a four-yard touchdown that looked easier than it should have been — not the first time that's happened — to give the Bears a 17-9 lead in the fourth quarter. His runs of 31 and 17 give him 12 rushes of 10+ yards this season.

2. Drew Dalman

Bells and whistles were the biggest allure of Ben Johnson — touchdowns, big plays, trick plays and play-calling. But the best part of his success is that it's rooted in the run game. The Bears' offensive line won another battle Friday, and Dalman, the starting center, is a fitting representative after going up against Jalen Carter for 60 minutes. The Bears had 47 carries for 281 yards (6.0 average) — a credit to the offensive line of rookie Ozzy Trapilo, Joe Thuney, Dalman, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright. That's the second-most rushing yards against a Vic Fangio defense in Fangio's 25 years as a coordinator/head coach in the NFL.

3. D'Andre Swift

It remains to be seen if Swift is a keeper in Johnson's offense — the Lions traded him to the Eagles after Johnson's first season as offensive coordinator in 2022. But he's making a stronger case to stay this time. Coming off a clunker against the Steelers (eight carries, 15 yards) Swift was an effective complement to Monangai again Friday, with 18 carries for 125 yards (6.9 average) and a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that gave the Bears a 7-0 lead. With gains of 23 and 17 yards, the Bears now have an NFL-best 52 rushes for 10 or more yards (Monangai and Caleb Williams each have 12).

4. Jalen Hurts

When Hurts was asked about the Bears league-leading takeaway total in one of those awkward pre-kickoff interviews when coaches and players just want to play the damn game, he noted that the Bears would also have to contend with an offense that has the fewest turnovers in the NFL. Fair enough, but the Eagles lost that battle and Hurts was most responsible, with a fumble and interception. The fumble was the crushing blow. After linebacker Jalyx Hunt's interception had given the Eagles had a chance to take the lead and steal a game, with the Eagles trailing 10-9 in the third quarter, Hurts fumbled on the Eagles' trademark "Tush Push" on third-and-one at the Bears' 12-yard line, with Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright alertly pulling the ball from Hurts' grasp with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

5. Kevin Byard

The veteran safety might be the best center fielder in Chicago after getting his NFL-best sixth interception in the third quarter — roaming to the left sideline to pick off Hurts' deep pass for A.J. Brown. Hurts came into the game with 19 touchdown passes and a league-low one interception. Byard has pretty quietly been one of the most consistently productive players in the NFL for 10 seasons, but every four years, he rises to another level — he made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2021 with the Titans and is making a bid to go back in 2025. His leadership is invaluable — with a maturity and steadiness that allows a potential volatile addition like C.J. Gardner-Johnson to fit like a glove in Dennis Allen's defense.

6. Jake Elliott

The Lyons Township product and nine-year veteran with a Super Bowl ring was 30-for-30 on PATs this season with 54 straight when he missed a PAT following Hurts' 33-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown cut the Eagles' deficit to 10-9. It played an even bigger role after the Bears extended their lead to 24-9 when the Eagles scored on Hurts' four-yard pass to Brown with 3:10 to play. Had the Eagles trailed 24-16, they would have kicked the PAT and likely trailed by one score — putting pressure on the Bears to keep possession. Instead, they went for two points and failed, and the Bears offense only had to avoid disaster to clinch the game.

7. Saquon Barkley

Barkley was unlikely to repeat his spectacular 2024 season, one of the best ever for an NFL running back (2,005 yards, 13 touchdowns). But his 2025 season keeps getting worse. With left tackle Lane Johnson out with a Lisfranc injury and his own groin injury, Barkley is a shell of his 2024 self — with just 13 carries against the Bears for 56 yards after being limited to 10 carries for 22 yards against the Cowboys last Sunday. The Bears came in ranked 28th in rushing defense and 30th in rushing average, but with a banged-up Barkley on a short week, the Eagles were unable to attack that vulnerability.

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