LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Rookie running back Kyle Monangai had himself a day against the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense in the 47-42 win in Week 9.

Monangai, who made his first career start in place of an injured D’Andre Swift, ran for 176 yards on 26 carries. That performance from the former seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers was the fourth-most rushing yards in a single game this season and pit him alongside Walter Payton in Bears history.

But Monangai couldn’t have accomplished that feat without the help of his offensive line. The unit consistently reset the line of scrimmage and created rushing lanes for the rookie running back.

Darnell Wright had one of his best games of the season. The Bears’ right tackle allowed just one total pressure all game and finished with 94.1 overall offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

After Colston Loveland caught the game-deciding touchdown, Wright ran down the field, did a cartwheel, and appeared to attempt a backflip, which would have been extremely impressive for a 6-foot-5, 335-pound offensive tackle.

“I call him the unicorn for a reason,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said on Wednesday. “He does some things that are pretty extraordinary. We have to continue to highlight what he can do with or without the ball himself. He’s another guy that is playing really good football right now. It’s good to see excitement like that. I thought the whole crew, they were super fired up not only to win the game, but to do it in that type of fashion.”

A play that would fall under the extraordinary category was Wright’s block on fourth-and-1 after the Bengals jumped offsides on Cairo Santos’ 47-yard field goal attempt. Wright moved Bengals 2025 first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart to the other side of the line of scrimmage. Monangai picked up five yards, and on the next play, the Bears scored a touchdown thanks to Olamide Zaccheaus.

I spoke with Wright about his block, and he diagnosed what he saw from Stewart on the play that allowed him to finish the play. Plus, Wright shared his takeaways on fellow teammate Theo Benedet‘s big play.

Watch the full breakdown on the Marquee Sports Network app.

“You can see that he stemmed to a 4i, and I just had a one-on-one block,” Wright said. “I just came off the ball, good drive and got a good finish.”

When Wright mentions Stewart “stemmed to a 4i,” that refers to the alignment of the defensive lineman. Stewart lined up to the inside shoulder of Wright, and the Bears’ OT took full advantage of the positioning.

As mentioned above, Benedet also had himself what would be considered a pancake block. With 5:35 remaining in the first quarter, the Bears lined up on their own 26-yard line on first-and-10. Benedet pulled from his left tackle position and became a lead blocker for Monangai. The 6-foot-7, 304-pound offensive tackle engaged with Bengals safety Geno Stone and took him towards the Bears’ bench.

Benedet broke down his block, shared where his mentality to finish plays started and also provided his thoughts on Wright’s fourth-and-1 block.

“You get excited as an offensive lineman when you get out there with the smaller bodies because you know the advantage you have over them physically,” Benedet said. “So, just able to latch on, and this is just second nature, finishing. That has been instilled in me since I started playing football.”