The Chicago Bears dominated the Buffalo Bills in every facet of the game on Sunday night in their 38-0 drubbing of the reigning AFC East champions at Soldier Field.
Caleb Williams led the offense 92 yards for a touchdown on the game's opening drive, and Chicago never looked back. In the end, the Bears outgained the Bills by nearly 350 total yards (528 to 180) and controlled the ball for roughly 2/3 of the game (39:12 to 20:48).
As impressive as the offense was, there was a surprising absence on that side of the ball as rookie running back Kyle Monangai did not see the field. Instead, it was Ian Wheeler and Brittain Brown who carried the load in the rushing game as the duo accounted for 35 of the team's 43 carries.
Fortunately, it doesn't appear that Monangai's absence was related to anything that could impact him moving forward. Just days after gushing over the rookie's performance in camp thus far, Ryan Poles downplayed any concerns over the health of Monangai when asked whether everything was OK with the rusher, via Ruthie Polinsky of Chicago Sports Network.
Ryan Poles was asked if everything is okay with RB Kyle Monangai: "Yep, yep. He'll be good."
— Ruthie Polinsky (@ruthiepolinsky) August 18, 2025
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Given the comments from Poles regarding Monangai heading into Chicago's matchup with Buffalo, the decision not to play the rookie on Sunday night doesn't appear to be anything for Bears fans to lose sleep over. With Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer already on the shelf due to injuries, protecting Monangai for the regular season was a smart decision.
It remains to be seen what Ben Johnson and Chicago's coaching staff elect to do with their regular two-deep players in the preseason finale this weekend. While it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest to see Monangai get some action before the stakes are raised, making sure the players who have established themselves as likely contributors see less of the load than those looking to lock down one of the final open roster spots should be a priority.
In one preseason appearance, the former Rutgers University standout carried the ball six times for 30 yards. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but all the things Monangai has done during training camp have put him in this position. As long as the seventh-round pick continues to build upon those traits he's shown in practice, this could be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship in the Windy City.