Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift played it cool when asked earlier in the week about the opportunity to play his former Philadelphia Eagles team in his hometown in prime time, telling NFL Network it was just another game.
He had not met the Eagles since he left to sign with the Bears in 2024 free agency after running for a career-high 1,049 yards and five touchdowns as their lead back in 2023. That same offseason, the Eagles invested a $37.75 million contract into Saquon Barkley.
After the Bears’ dominant 24-15 win, though, Swift admitted there was a little more to his rematch with the Eagles than he had admitted heading into Week 13’s matchup.
“There was a little bit extra into it, being home and seeing family before the game,” Swift said after a laugh, via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “Full-circle moment.”
D’Andre Swift & Kyle Monangai Rolled Eagles Defense
Swift — who signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Bears in 2024 — dominated against his former team on Black Friday, rushing 18 times for a season-high 125 yards and a first-quarter touchdown that helped the Bears take a lead they would never lose.
He wasn’t the only one, either.
Bears seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai also throttled the Eagles defense on the ground, putting up a team-high 130 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Monangai has now rushed for at least 130 yards in two of his first 12 career games in Chicago.
Together, Swift and Monangai became the first Bears duo to each rush for 100-plus yards in a game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did so during the 1985 season, which is as much a testament to the backs as it is to Chicago’s stout offensive line.
“We want to be playing our best ball in November and December when it matters the most,” Swift told Garafolo in the postgame. “We’re in a position to do so. Got to keep getting better, week in and week out.”
Can Bears RBs Repeat Dominance Against Packers?
Having now knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions, the Bears are starting to build some real expectations about where they can still take their 9-3 season in 2025.
The reasons for optimism are aplenty. It is not just that Ben Johnson’s coaching staff has done a better job at commanding the troops to victory in one-score games (6-1) or that former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has improved under Johnson’s tutelage. It is the seismic culture shift that has turned the Bears from routine losers to confident winners.
Now, can they keep it going at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, specifically on the ground with their backs against the eighth-ranked run defense?
The Packers (8-3-1) can take first place in the division away from the Bears with a win at home next week and are coming off a win in which they held Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs to just 68 yards on 20 carries. That said, they also just lost defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt to a season-ending ankle injury that could create issues for their run defense.
The Bears will face the Packers at a flexed 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on December 7.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bears RB D’Andre Swift Sends Message After Beating Eagles in Philly appeared first on Heavy Sports.