As postgame interviews continued in the locker room, multiple players gave props to different groups that contributed to the run game’s success in the primetime Black Friday matchup.

“I think certainly a ton of credit [goes] to our coaches on a short week, doing an unbelievable amount of work in a short period of time,” center Drew Dalman said, “all 11 on offense working together to get the whole thing working. It’s a function of everybody.”

That togetherness displayed through the team’s postgame comments isn’t just a cliché. It’s a direct reflection of the selflessness on the field that allowed Monangai to rush for 130 yards on 22 carries and Swift to record 125 yards on 18 carries.

The pair of east coast natives — Monangai is from New Jersey and Swift hails from Philadelphia — became the first Bears duo to rush for 100-plus yards each in a single game since legendary Hall of Famer Walter Payton recorded 107 yards and fellow Super Bowl XX champion Matt Suhey posted 102 yards Nov. 10, 1985 in a 24-3 win over the Lions at Soldier Field. It’s also the first time two NFL running backs have accomplished the feat since Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard did so for the Cowboys in 2019.

“Can’t say enough about that running game,” coach Ben Johnson said. “I don’t think we win that game if we’re not able to run the ball like we were. Both the backs, over 100 yards, was just outstanding. You could feel decisiveness, you could feel them hitting it downhill. They turned on the gas, and were lowering their shoulders, too. So that was so good to see, but it doesn’t happen without that offensive line. You can’t say enough about Ozzy [Trapilo] and Joe [Thuney], Dalman, Jonah [Jackson] and Darnell [Wright]. I mean, those guys, they were huge for us. So really proud of them, really proud of the tight ends, the receivers.

“That’s a frustrating game if you were a pass catcher, because those conditions were challenging for us to get some consistency going there. And yet, they still were a big part of what we were doing there in the run game, and they knew that going into it. So that was huge to see.”

Both Monangai and Swift have recorded 100-yard games already this season – the rookie rushed for 176 yards against the Bengals and Swift tallied 108 yards in Washington and 124 versus New Orleans. As the NFL’s No. 2 ranked rushing offense headed into Week 13, the duo was bound for those individual performances to line up at some point.

“We feed off each other’s energy,” Monangai said. “One of us goes and gets a big a play, we say to the other one, ‘okay, it’s your time, c’mon, go match that.’ That competitive nature, the chemistry we have to see each other be great, I think we’re unstoppable when we’re clicking like that.”

The Bears ran 85 offensive plays Friday, 47 of which were runs, including five from quarterback Caleb Williams and one each from receivers Luther Burden III and DJ Moore. The other 42 went to the one-two punch of Monangai and Swift, who accounted for more than 60% of the Bears’ offensive production against the Eagles.

“We knew going into this game it was going to be in the trenches,” Monangai said. “Up front, that was going to be a deciding factor in whether we win this game. We challenged them in the beginning of the week, they knew what it was, and they showed up. The O-line had a great game. They were moving people, me and ‘Dre were able to read and just cut up, make vertical cuts and just be us.”

Headed into Friday’s game, the Bears were prepared to rely on their rushing attack given the cold, windy conditions that were expected in Philadelphia. While the coaching staff put an extra emphasis this week on the importance of all 11 offensive players contributing to the ground game, Johnson has preached that message all season long.

Several offensive players have previously commented on Johnson’s mentality of “no block, no rock.” On Friday afternoon, that mantra was more crucial than ever.

“In late November, you need the run game to be hitting,” tight end Colston Loveland shared. “That’s what we’ve been harping on since OTAs. Started off the season, it wasn’t really hitting, but you’ve gotta trust it — that wide zone especially — so just a huge shoutout to our O-line, tight ends, receivers. It’s everyone. Takes everyone to do it and it’s good when you can run the ball.”

During the Bears’ postgame locker celebration, Johnson awarded the entire offensive line with one of two game balls, the other going to cornerback Nahshon Wright, who forced and recovered a third-quarter fumble on an Eagles’ tush push attempt.