Bears Rule Out Kyle Monangai Again Because 30 Carries Have Consequences

The Chicago Bears are officially shutting down running back Kyle Monangai for Thursday night's game against the New England Patriots, marking his third straight missed week.

Adam Schefter reported the official out status, noting that Monangai is still dealing with a lingering thumb issue and turf toe. Turf toe sounds like a minor inconvenience you get from bad gardening shoes, but in the NFL, it is a career-pausing nightmare. Add a thumb injury to the mix, and Monangai is basically dealing with the worst possible combination for a guy whose entire job is holding a football and running away from giant men.

"Adam Schefter reported that Monangai will miss his third straight game due to his thumb injury and turf toe."

This absence traces directly back to Chicago's Week 4 win over the New York Jets. The Bears decided to give Monangai 30 carries in that game, matching his entire season workload in a single afternoon. Shockingly, treating a human body like a rental car resulted in the wheels falling off, and he has not seen the field since.

Chicago is sitting at 4-2 and currently favored by three points over New England in this Thursday night matchup. Without Monangai available to absorb the heavy hits, the backfield duties fall squarely on D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson to keep the offense moving.

Fantasy managers who blew their waiver wire budget on Monangai after that 30-carry breakout are now holding a roster spot for a guy who cannot push off his foot or grip a ball. Johnson has barely seen the field recently, meaning Swift is likely staring down a massive workload against a vulnerable Patriots defense.

The Bears need to survive this primetime game to keep pace in a crowded NFC North. If they keep feeding their running backs 30 times a night, they might need to start holding open tryouts in the Soldier Field parking lot by Thanksgiving.