Bears running back Kyle Monangai took a handoff in the second quarter Sunday and slammed head-first into Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, sending a chunk of yellow paint flying off Cooper’s helmet and 10 feet into the air.
The freezing weather at Lambeau Field didn’t deaden the blow.
“It’s a violent game,” Monangai said. “We’re running 100 mph at each other so it’s gonna hurt.”
He didn’t see the paint chip explode off Cooper’s helmet, though, until he checked his phone in the locker room. A zoomed-in replay of the run had been captured on the Fox broadcast.
His coaches and teammates have watched it countless times since.
“I think that’s what we want,” coach Ben Johnson said. “That was the vision. That was really what we wanted to bring to life. I give the guys a lot of credit for buying in to what we’re talking about. Really, they have all the ability in the world to have a physical run game.”
When Johnson installed the Bears’ rushing attack during the offseason, he pointed to how necessary it would become in Arctic temperatures at Soldier Field. The Bears will find out first-hand how important that is Sunday against the Browns, when temperatures on the Lakefront will be between 5 and 14 degrees — not factoring in wind chill. If temperatures fall on the low end of projections, Sunday could become one of the five coldest Bears games ever at Soldier Field.
“It’s certainly part of your thought process as you’re building the team — just using your home field to your advantage as much as you can,” Johnson said.
The Bears believe their bruising rushing attack gives them an edge in the cold, even against a Browns team whose stadium is mere feet from the shores of Lake Erie.
“We’ll see who wants to play in those conditions … ” running back D’Andre Swift said. “I feel like that’s our personality as a team. Physical, Tough.”
Seven of the Bears’ nine wins this season have come outdoors — four at Soldier Field and one apiece against the Commanders, Bengals and Eagles.
Along the way, they found their calling card. No team in football averages more rushing yards outdoors than the Bears’ 5.2 yards per carry.
“That’s what [Johnson] told us in the offseason OTAs —’This is what we need to pride ourselves on,’ ‘This needs to be our identity,’” rookie tight end Colston Loveland said. “So it’s cool to kind of see it come to life.”
Kyle Monangai broke Edgerin Cooper’s helmet on this run play.
Absolute beast.pic.twitter.com/b2kJFi1bnc
— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) December 7, 2025
Johnson is quick to say that the Bears “want the ability to run or throw it … whatever it takes to win.” In a season where the Bears have won because of their pass game exactly once, though, he’s happy to lean on Swift, Monangai and a rebuilt offensive line.
“I think we’re in a good spot right now to where that running game has come on strong,” Johnson said. “It’s physical, man. I give a lot of credit to our guys … the way the O-line is coming off the ball, the way the tight ends are blocking.”
The Bears average 152.6 rushing yards, the second-most in the NFL. Since the Bears came off their Week 5 bye and started implementing more motions to give them a pre-snap advantage in the run game, they lead the NFL with 175 rushing yards per game.
The Browns allow 3.8 yards per carry, the fourth-smallest mark in the league. The Titans broke through against them last week, though, when Tony Pollard ran for touchdowns of 65 and 32 yards.
That gives the Bears optimism going into Sunday. So does their own resume — and attitude — this season.
“We studied what they did,” Monangai said. “We have our own game plan, our own thoughts, going into the game. But it’s no secret we want to run the ball.”