Caleb Williams gets most of the headlines. Ben Johnson gets plenty of credit, too. That's what happens when the Chicago Bears start winning football games and suddenly look like a team capable of doing something in January.
But spend a few minutes digging through ESPN's Chicago Bears team statistics, and you'll find some numbers that probably haven't received the attention they deserve.
For example, how does a receiver average nearly 16 yards per catch without scoring a touchdown? And since when does a cornerback lead a team in sacks?
Chicago's 5-2 record is impressive enough. Some of the individual numbers are even more interesting.
Kyle Monangai is getting more out of fewer carries
D'Andre Swift has seven rushing touchdowns. That's not exactly a reason to complain about his performance.
Still, Kyle Monangai is giving Johnson something to think about.
The rookie has 324 rushing yards on 60 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. Swift has 476 yards on 116 attempts, an average of 4.1.
Monangai has also picked up 16 first downs on the ground. Swift has 22 despite nearly doubling his workload.
What's even more impressive is that Monangai has maintained those numbers despite missing significant time with toe and thumb injuries. He hasn't played since Week 4 and has already been ruled out against Seattle, marking his fourth consecutive missed game. Even with that extended absence, his 324 rushing yards and 5.4 yards per carry remain among Chicago's most impressive offensive statistics.
Granted, Monangai has a 61-yard run helping his average. And Swift brings more to the offense than rushing production alone.
But those numbers are going to make it increasingly difficult to keep Monangai on the sidelines.
Austin Booker is producing like a player nobody expected
Chicago went out and acquired Jeffery Simmons to strengthen its defensive front. Understandable. The Bears needed help.
But Austin Booker was already doing his part.
Booker has four sacks and two forced fumbles, putting him alongside Kyler Gordon for the team lead in sacks.
Meanwhile, Dayo Odeyingbo has three sacks, and Grady Jarrett is still looking for his first.
That's not a criticism of either veteran. It's recognition of a young player who's producing without much fanfare.
Booker was a fifth-round pick in 2024. Two years later, he's one of Chicago's most productive pass rushers.
Not a bad return on that investment.
Kalif Raymond has been ridiculously dependable
Here's a name that doesn't come up very often when people discuss Chicago's receiving corps.
Kalif Raymond.
He's caught 26 of his 31 targets, an 83.9% reception rate. For a team with several young receivers still developing chemistry with Williams, that's a pretty useful player to have around.
Raymond also has 244 receiving yards, exactly the same total as Colston Loveland.
Nobody is going to confuse Raymond with the centerpiece of Chicago's passing attack. That's not his job.
But when Williams throws him the football, there's a pretty good chance he's catching it.
Sometimes that's all an offense needs.
Rome Odunze has a statistical line that makes almost no sense
Rome Odunze has 381 receiving yards. He's averaging 15.9 yards per catch and has already produced 11 receptions of at least 20 yards.
Touchdowns?
Zero.
How does that happen?
Odunze is moving the football. He's stretching the field. His 17 receiving first downs are tied with Luther Burden III for the team lead.
Yet somehow, he's still waiting for his first trip to the end zone this season.
It's not as though Odunze has disappeared from Chicago's offense. Quite the opposite.
The production is there. The touchdowns aren't.
That might be the strangest receiving statistic on the entire roster.
Dillon Thieneman is doing an awful lot for a rookie
When a rookie safety leads his team in tackles, there are a couple of ways to interpret it.
Either he's making plays all over the field, or opponents are getting into the secondary more often than anyone would like.
With Dillon Thieneman, there's reason to believe it's more of the former.
He's recorded 47 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception. Devin Bush is next on the team with 38 tackles.
That's quite a workload for a player still learning the NFL.
Chicago's secondary entered the season with questions. Thieneman hasn't answered every one of them, but he's certainly made himself useful.
Kyler Gordon is putting up defensive line numbers
Four sacks. Two forced fumbles.
Those are respectable numbers for a defensive end through seven games.
Except Kyler Gordon plays cornerback.
He's tied with Booker for Chicago's sack lead, which says plenty about how Dennis Allen is approaching his defense.
Allen isn't waiting for his defensive linemen to win every matchup. He's bringing pressure from different places, and Gordon has been particularly effective when his number gets called.
The funny part? Gordon has only nine tackles.
Four sacks on nine total tackles is a bizarre statistical combination, but it's also a pretty good illustration of how Chicago is using him.
Bears statistics reveal a team getting contributions from unexpected places
The Bears have invested heavily in improving their roster, and several of their biggest names are delivering.
But their 5-2 start isn't exclusively about Williams, Johnson, or the offseason acquisitions.
Monangai is making a case for more carries. Booker is getting to quarterbacks. Raymond rarely drops the football. Odunze is producing without scoring, and two defensive backs are putting up numbers you wouldn't normally associate with their positions.
There's a lot more going on in Chicago than the usual headlines suggest.
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