With two weeks left in the 2025 NFL season, the Chicago Bears are surprisingly one of the top teams in the NFC, hoping to secure the No. 1 overall pick with an outside chance. But it all starts with a win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17.
While they’ve gotten off to a quick start, one of their most explosive offensive weapons, running back D’Andre Swift, has been relatively silent to start the first half. Let’s take a look at his slow start.
What Happened to Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift?
No, Swift is not injured; he’s actually played in 14 games for the Bears so far this season. Entering Week 17, he had turned 204 carries into 993 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also caught 31 of 43 targets for 266 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, on Sunday Night Football, the 49ers defense has kept Swift in check in the first quarter, rushing once for eight yards while rookie Kyle Monangai has gotten two carries. He’s also been targeted once but failed to bring in the pass. The eight-yard gain gives Swift the second 1,000-yard season of his career and first since his 2023 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, as long as he does not lose any rushing yards.
Swift has excelled this season, ranking high in PFSN’s RB Impact metric with an impact score of 84.2, placing him fifth in the NFL. With Monangai coming in at 14th with an impact score of 79.6, they are the highest-rated overall RB duo in the league.
As for the Bears’ offense, head coach Ben Johnson has done a solid job supporting second-year Caleb Williams and the rest of the offense, seeing their PFSN’s Offense Impact metric score rise considerably from 66.1 in 2024 to 78.5 in 2025.
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Their overall rank in the league also skyrocketed, rising from 30th to 10th overall. While people expected improvement, I don’t think many were expecting it this quickly.
The Bears are going blow-for-blow with the 49ers in the first half as Williams has completed six of ten passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Monangai is still outtouching Swift three to one midway through the second, but the game script hasn’t just gone his way. With more snaps and opportunities, Swift is sure to find some space with Monangai at 24 yards.
The Bears and 49ers have put on quite a show on Sunday Night Football so far, with their paths to the No. 1 overall seed on the line. It will be intriguing to see how Johnson and the Bears’ offense adapt as the game progresses.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
