PHILADELPHIA — The Bears bullied the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles into submission in a 24-15 victory Friday that stands as the most profound statement by the franchise in this decade.
They did so behind the legs of running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who ran behind a phalanx of blockers that opened up seams so dramatically and consistently that quarterback Caleb Williams said he would hand the ball off and cheer his offensive line ‘‘like a little kid.’’
Swift and Monangai became the first pair of Bears teammates to run for 100 yards or more in the same game since 1985. Along the way, the Bears sent a message to the rest of the NFL.
‘‘We’re for real,’’ Swift said.
After a season spent eking out victories against losing teams and bottom-tier quarterbacks, the Bears spent Friday pounding the Eagles with body blows on the way to their fifth consecutive victory. At 9-3, they lead the NFC North and would be the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs were the season to end today.
‘‘We’re not finished,’’ cornerback Kyler Gordon said. ‘‘Nine’s not enough. We’ve all got future plans in February. That’s all we’re really shooting for.’’
To win playoff games — much less the Super Bowl — the Bears will need a better performance from Williams, who struggled with his accuracy and what he called ‘‘weird gusts’’ of wind whipping through Lincoln Financial Field.
Williams went 17-for-36 for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 56.9 passer rating. His 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet that put the Bears ahead 24-9 midway through the fourth quarter was the dagger that sent disgusted locals, some with voices raspy from booing, stomping off into the Philadelphia night.
The Bears were at their best, however, when Williams turned around and handed the ball off.
Swift, a Philadelphia native and a former Eagles player, called his performance — 18 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown — a ‘‘full-circle moment.’’ Monangai, who ran 22 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, said it was an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Walter Payton and Matt Suhey, who each rushed for triple-digit yards against the Lions in 1985.
‘‘I probably called too many pass plays this game, especially with how we were running it,’’ head coach Ben Johnson said. ‘‘That’s an area that I can be better at.’’
The Bears ran often enough — 47 times for 281 yards, an average of six yards per carry — to set the tone.
‘‘We’re not going to let anybody dictate to us what we’re going to do,’’ Monangai said. ‘‘We follow the lead of the guys in front.’’
The Bears led 10-9 in the third quarter, thanks to a missed extra point by Jake Elliott, when Eagles edge rusher Jalyx Hunt leaped at the line of scrimmage to try to knock down a screen pass by Williams and caught the ball. His 11-yard return gave the Eagles the ball at the Bears’ 36, and a 15-yard run by Saquon Barkley put them on the edge of the red zone.
The Eagles drove to the 12 and, on third-and-one, lined up in their patented ‘‘Tush Push’’ formation. Hurts plunged forward toward a first down, only for cornerback Nahshon Wright to reach into the pile and yank the ball out of his arms. Wright emerged with the ball in his hands.
It was the most consequential play of the game by a defense that held Hurts to 19-for-34 for 230 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for an 84.2 passer rating.
The Bears, who had managed only five first downs on their previous five drives, promptly marched 87 yards down the field, starting with a 31-yard run by Monangai on the first play of the possession.
On fourth-and-five from the Eagles’ 37 with about a minute left in the third quarter, Williams found rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a seven-yard gain. Five plays later, Monangai scored from four yards out to put the Bears up 17-9.
‘‘We’ve got elite backs, we have an elite offensive line and we have an elite wide-receiver group that is willing to put themselves out there and block for the betterment of the team,’’ Williams said. ‘‘Their willingness to go out there and block, it’s awesome to watch; it’s awesome to see from my point of view. But I can’t wait to go watch it on film and get excited about it.’’
After the touchdown catch by Kmet, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown caught his second touchdown pass of the game with 3:10 left to pull the Eagles to 24-15. They decided to go for two points in an effort to cut the Bears’ lead to seven, but Hurts threw incomplete. The ensuing onside kick bounced into the arms of wide receiver Rome Odunze.
The Eagles reclaimed possession with 1:12 left and no timeouts. Elliott tried a 52-yard field goal in the final seconds but missed it.
Williams tried to downplay the importance of the victory, but he acknowledged it felt different from the others.
‘‘It is very important to us because we understand what it is and what it means for us,’’ he said.
The rest of the league is on notice.
‘‘Another story of the team playing together,’’ defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. ‘‘Complementing each other. Believing in ourselves.’’
