*The clip above is a Mailbag Monday feature from The Sports Office, which airs Monday through Firday at 7:30 p.m. CT on the WGN+ App available on smart TVs everywhere.
CHICAGO (WGN) — Among the madness of Sunday’s Bears-Bengals frenzy at Paycor Stadium, two Bears rookies and their starting quarterback teamed up for a trio of never-before-seen stat lines in the NFL.
Those rookies—Colston Loveland and Kyle Monangai—combined for 316 yards from scrimmage on the way to hitting a new benchmark for first-year players. They became the first rookie duo in NFL history to have one player rush for 175+ yards and the other record 100+ yards receiving in the same game.
Loveland reeled in six of his seven targets for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns, which included Sunday’s 58-yard game-winner with 25 seconds left in the fourth. The performance marked both his first career 100-yard game and his first career scores.
Monangai registered 26 carries for 176 yards to go with 3 catches for another 22 yards on top of that. His 176 yards on the ground are the second-most rush yards by a Bears rookie running back in franchise history.
The all-time franchise record holder? Anthony Thomas ran for 188 yards on Oct. 21, 2001, which also happened against the Bengals.
Caleb Williams, who completed 20-of-34 passes for 280 yards and 3 TD passes, ran the ball five times for 53 yards and caught two passes for another 22 yards, became the first player in NFL history with at least 275 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and 20 receiving yards in a single game, and the first player ever with at least 20 completions and multiple receptions in a game in NFL history.
He’s also the first player to catch multiple passes and throw for multiple touchdowns since 1983.
The last player to hit that benchmark? Walter Payton.
Against the Packers on Sept. 18, 1983, Payton went 2-for-2 with 77 yards passing and 2 TD passes. He also ran the ball 28 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, to go with 2 catches for 27 yards through the air.
More on Loveland and Monangai
First pointed out by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Monangai is second in the NFL in percentage of carries that have resulted in a 5+ yard gain at 44.1%, trailing only the Buffalo Bills’ James Cook at 45.8%.
According to Next Gen Stats, Monangai generated +59 rushing yards over expected and 123 yards after contact against the Bengals—both more than any single-game total D’Andre Swift has recorded with the Bears over the last two seasons.
He also forced a career-high six missed tackles that resulted in a career-most 48 yards after those missed tackles. Next Gen Stats also noted Monangai was hit behind the line of scrimmage on just 11.5% of his carries (3/26), the lowest rate in a game by any running back with at least 20 carries this season.
Loveland’s role in the Bears’ passing attack on Sunday was as key to its success as it was versatile. He recorded at least one reception from every alignment (wide, slot, tight, and backfield) and played 81.3% of snaps after logging 83.3% the previous week against the Ravens.
This included 4 catches for 105 yards (2nd-most among tight ends in a game this season) and 2 touchdowns on routes run down the seams.