Looking ahead, Thursday Night Football against the New England Patriots in Chicago appears unlikely to feature running back Kyle Monangai. Monangai has been out for two weeks with turf toe and a minor thumb issue. He burst onto the scene with a career-best performance against the New York Jets, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries after taking over as the lead back in the second half following a costly fumble. However, he has not played or practiced in the past two weeks, and turf-toe injuries typically require time to heal.
With the Week 7 game against the AFC-champion Patriots looming, time is in short supply for Chicago. The Bears then have 11 days off before their next game on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks on November 2. Given Monangai’s lack of practice time and two missed games, returning on a short week would be a risky move unless his condition shows dramatic improvement in the next few days.
In the meantime, Chicago’s rushing attack has been less effective without Monangai. Last season, D’Andre Swift anchored the run game, earning a three-year deal after a strong start to the year. Through the first four weeks of this season, Monangai was a significant contributor, averaging about 10 rushing attempts per game for 178 yards and a touchdown. He was among the NFL’s top rushers during that stretch, but his absence contributed to a dip in the Bears’ ground game over the past two weeks. The Bears managed 81 rushing yards on 24 carries against Green Bay in Week 5 and 98 yards on 33 carries against Atlanta in Week 6, though they did reach the end zone three times in the latter matchup.
Caleb Williams’ return helped stabilize Chicago’s offense, compensating for the run game’s downturn and providing balance as the team prepares for a tough matchup with New England.
