Kyle Monangai’s first start was a revelation.
He might get another one Sunday.
D’Andre Swift, the Bears starter who was healthy all week, missed practice Friday for what the team called personal reasons and is questionable to play Sunday against the Giants.
After sitting out a week’s worth of practices last week because of a nagging groin injury, Swift was limited in practice Wednesday and a full participant Thursday. He said Wednesday he planned to play against the Giants.
If he doesn’t, Monangai will get a chance to build on the 26-carry, 176-yard performance he posted against the Bengals in his first career start.
“Whatever I gotta do to help us win … if that’s what I gotta do, that’s what I gotta do,” Monangai said after Friday’s practice. “I just gotta be prepared for whatever comes my way.”
Last week, Monangai ran for the second-most yards ever by a Bears rookie running back.
“No one, on the coaching staff or personnel side, was surprised to see that,” coach Ben Johnson said. “When you come into the building like he does and have his approach every day, it doesn’t matter if it’s in the meetings or walk-through or practice, you know what you’re going to get. He’s a very consistent player.”
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who is one inch shorter than the 5-foot-8 Monangai, was asked this week whether the rookie reminded him of a younger version of himself. He produced another name instead: Kareem Hunt. Bieniemy was Hunt’s running backs coach in his first year and his offensive coordinator in his second.
Hunt is bigger — 5-foot-11 — but runs with a similar tenacity. He led the NFL in rushing as a rookie, gaining 1,327 yards, and is in his ninth season in the league.
Monangai won’t get to 1,327 yards unless he finds a way to play the Bengals every week. The league’s worst defense allowed the Bears’ blockers to move the line of scrimmage three, four and five yards consistently..
“It was a sight to see,” said receiver and occasional running back DJ Moore.
Moore described Monangai as a “jitterbug” in the backfield, but that might be selling short his physicality. With Swift out Sunday, he ran for a whopping 2.47 yards over expected per carry. That led all Week 9 runners.
“He ran hard, he lowered his pads,” Johnson said. “I thought he played some inspiring football for anyone that was watching it — whether you were on the field or on the sidelines.”
If Swift plays Sunday, Johnson will split carries between him and Monangai. During the course of the week, Johnson identifies a few run plays that work better for one running back than the other. He then typically divides playing time by series — unless he wants to call one of the customized plays.
If someone’s running well, though, that goes out the window.
“I believe in a guy having the hot hand,” he said. “One guy, if he’s feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer “
After beating up the Bengals, Monangai spent part of the week responding to the hundreds of text messages he received after his first start. He tried not to let it go to his head.
“Just gotta keep building,” he said. “I can’t let it take last week to this week. It’s a new week, new opponent.”
A better one — but only barely. The Giants give up a whopping 150 rushing yards per game, second-only to the Bengals.
“The Bengals are in the past,” Monangai said. “The Giants are a worthy opponent, unlike their record may show other people.”