NFL: Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
NFL: Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
The Chicago Bears are heading to Lambeau Field with an advantage so dramatic it barely looks real.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have combined for 635 rushing yards through four games. The Green Bay Packers, as an entire football team, have 232.
That is not just an edge. It is a complete reversal of expectations for two franchises that have long represented opposite ends of the rivalry’s power structure. Chicago, for much of the last two decades, has spent Packers week trying to find enough offense to keep the game close.
This Bears team is different.
Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers3
Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA. Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) runs after the catch for a first down as Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) defends during the second half of an NFC Wild Card Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Chicago enters Sunday with the NFL’s top rushing offense, averaging 196.3 yards per game. The Packers sit dead last at 58.0. The Bears have already piled up 785 rushing yards. Green Bay is not even one-third of the way there. Swift and Monangai have each rushed for more yards individually than the Packers have generated as a team.
Monangai has 324 yards after his breakout 146-yard, two-touchdown performance against the New York Jets. Swift has 311 despite an uneven showing in the same game and a pair of costly fumbles over the last three weeks. Together, they have given Ben Johnson something every offensive coach wants: two backs with different styles, both capable of carrying an offense.
Swift can threaten a defense as a receiver, find cutback lanes and turn a small crease into a significant gain. Monangai runs with a different kind of force. He is decisive, physical and capable of turning a close game into a long afternoon for a defense that starts losing its will to tackle.
The Bears do not have to choose one identity. They can use both.
That was obvious against the Jets. Chicago ran 89 offensive plays, controlled the ball for 42 minutes and 45 seconds and ran for 232 yards. Monangai received 30 carries and still seemed to get stronger as the afternoon went on. The Bears did not merely run the ball effectively. They used the ground game to remove New York from the game.
Green Bay has already seen what happens when it cannot stop a physical opponent.
NFL Week 5 Power Rankings, Atlanta Falcons3
Oct 5, 2026. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs against New Orleans Saints linebacker Pete Werner (20) and safety Julian Blackmon (23) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Falcons ran for 244 yards in a 35-14 demolition of the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 3. Atlanta ranks second in the NFL in rushing, behind only Chicago. That is not a coincidence. The two best rushing attacks in football have both immediately exposed a Packers defense that is missing star edge rusher Micah Parsons and just lost linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to a season-ending Achilles injury.
The Bears should not assume anything comes easily, especially on the road against their oldest rival. Green Bay has spent the week rearranging its offensive line, and its defense will surely make stopping the run the first priority. The Packers know what is coming. That does not mean they can stop it.
Chicago’s rushing success is not built on trick plays or one player producing a fluky hot streak. It starts with an offensive line that has created movement even while dealing with injuries and lineup changes. It continues with a deep tight end room willing to block. And it works because Johnson is not afraid to call run after run after run when the opponent cannot prove it deserves a different answer.
Cole Kmet put it simply after the Jets game.
“For most of the day, it felt like we were moving the line of scrimmage,” Kmet said. “When we’re doing that, we’re pretty tough to beat.”
That is the formula Chicago needs at Lambeau.
Tyson Bagent will start again while Caleb Williams continues recovering from his hamstring injury. Bagent played well against New York, but the Bears do not need to ask him to win Sunday by throwing 40 passes into a hostile environment. They need him to protect the football, manage the operation and give the defense enough reasons to respect the passing game.
Then Chicago can let Swift and Monangai do what they have done all season.
Week 4 NFL Power Rankings3
Sep 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) runs the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
There is a little injury uncertainty entering the week. Swift missed Wednesday’s practice with hip and knee issues, while Monangai was out with thumb and toe designations after absorbing 30 carries against the Jets. Johnson said Monangai’s thumb is not a concern and suggested the young runner is simply feeling the workload from a punishing game.
That is understandable. It is also a reminder of why the Bears need both backs.
Swift is still a major part of Chicago’s offense, even after his latest fumble. Monangai has earned a larger role, but the Bears’ advantage comes from being able to keep either runner fresh and force a defense to deal with two different problems for four quarters.
Green Bay is trying to find a running game. Chicago has two runners outproducing the Packers’ entire offense on the ground.
If the Bears impose that physical advantage Sunday, the latest chapter of the rivalry could get ugly fast.