The Chicago Bears finished 2025 with one of the NFL’s best RB duos

Both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai dominated in a key stat this season.

Jan 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) runs with the ball against Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Few things about the Chicago Bears have been as night and day in 2025 compared to last year as the run game under Ben Johnson.

D’Andre Swift, who routinely struggled last season and early in this one to get the most out of his carries, just put up his best professional season, rushing for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns.

And he wasn’t the only one: rookie Kyle Monangai aldo proved himself a home-run pick in the seventh round, putting up 783 yards and five scores of his own.

Not surprisingly, the advanced stats love both. And one metric in particular suggests no two backs in the NFL were better together than them.

NFL data analyst Tej Seth’s rankings of running backs using rushing EPA+ puts both Swift (No. 2 overall!) and Monangai (No. 12) in the top 15 of all NFL backs. Along with the Rams (Blake Corum and Kyren Williams), the Bears were the only other team with two players on the list.

The Rams have the Bears beat in terms of total rushing yards and rushing EPA+ between their duos, so I guess we should call them the best duo in the league. But the fact that Chicago can lay claim to the title at all is a major plus.

At the start of this season, it would've seemed ridiculous to even consider keeping Swift around any longer than this year, even though he's under contract for 2026. But, while he still has his shortcomings at times, he's looked transformed under Johnson, running downhill and making fewer questionable decisions in the run game.

Monangai, meanwhile, has been a bowling ball of butcher knives, barreling through defenders and showing a decent amount of elusiveness in the open field (though he has a tendency to seek out contact a bit too much). His ability to gain tough yards in clutch situations has been notable as well.

Plus, Johnson’s ability to turn the running game from one of the NFL’s most anemic into one of its best helped turn the offense around as a whole and give young quarterback Caleb Williams time to mature.

Now, the Bears need Swift and Monangai to smash through some more defenders in the postseason, starting with Saturday’s fateful matchup against the Packers.

More Chicago Bears News:

• Dan Orlovsky: Bears have no chance against the Packers

• Joe Thuney, Darnell Wright getting All-Pro buzz from Next Gen Stats

• Nahshon Wright joins Caleb Williams with Pro Football Focus honor

• The Bears finally get some good news on Kyler Gordon