The Bears’ second preseason matchup of 2025 saw the backups dominate most of the playing time, but it’s the -play of the starters that most people will talk about.
Caleb Williams saw his first action of the new year, playing on two drives and leading a touchdown on one of them. Chicago performed well on both sides of the ball, finishing with a 38-0 win at Soldier Field over the Bills. The win improves their preseason record to 1-0-1, having tied with the Dolphins in Week 1.
It’s only the preseason, and Buffalo didn’t play too many of their own starters. Still, it was very encouraging to see young players performing at a high level. Here are some of the key takeaways from Chicago’s preseason victory on Sunday.
Caleb looking sharp
Through two offensive drives, Caleb Williams finished the game 6-for-10 with 107 passing yards, a touchdown, no interceptions and a 130.0 passer rating. His first drive was particularly incredible, overcoming a short kick return and a penalty to lead the Bears down the field for a 92-yard touchdown drive.
Albeit in limited playing time against backups, Williams moved the ball incredibly well. He looked accurate with his throws, hitting his targets in stride on all but one throw that wasn’t thrown away. His throws had zip behind them, and he looked poised in the pocket. It was a strong game for the second-year quarterback.
Luther Burden’s stock continues to rise
For the second game in a row, Luther Burden III saw a majority of his snaps come with the second-team offense. As one could expect from a second-round pick who was an All-American in college, he dominated Buffalo’s backup defense. He caught all three of his targets, tallying 49 yards for an average of 16.3 yards per catch.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was his effort as a run blocker. On two separate instances, Ben Johnson motioned Burden before the snap on run-blocking assignments. He hit one crack block on a Buffalo defender and pulled up the middle amidst the offensive line for the second play, executing his block with physicality and paving the way for touchdowns both time. Ian Wheeler and Britain Brown were both benefactors of his strong blocking, as well as having strong performances on their own.
There was a lot of question about Burden’s effort coming out of college. His talent was obvious at Missouri, but some had concerns about his work ethic as a blocker and on routes where he wasn’t the first read. However, he’s been proving those doubters wrong so far. Johnson has been aggressive in making sure Chicago’s offense executes on the minute details, and Burden has bought in.
The offense is executing the scheme well
It wasn’t just Williams and Burden executing on offense. Tyson Bagent looked athletic, poised, and confident going through his progressions. The offensive line held up very well against the Bills’ talented defensive line. The receivers ran routes with proper tempo and depth to fully maximize Johnson’s offensive play designs.
During his time as the offensive coordinator of the Lions, Johnson was highly touted for the creativity of his play designs, exploiting specific coverages with corresponding route concepts designed to beat those concepts. So far, the Bears have done a good job in the preseason of understanding the details and executing, letting those smart designs come to fruition.
After some ups and downs in the Dolphins game, the Bears’ offensive line stepped up against Buffalo. Williams and Austin Reed didn’t get sacked, and Bagent was only sacked once. The offensive line also helped the run game pick up decent chunk yards in between the tackles, as well.
Physicality stands out on defense
Everyone is going to come out of the Bears’ preseason win on Sunday talking about the offense, which makes sense. That said, the defense was also tremendous, as made evident by the fact that they didn’t allow a single point all evening.
Sticky coverage - and some lucky with poor quarterback play from the Bills’ offense - helped the Bears force incompletions on over half of the passing attempts they faced. Amen Ogbongbemiga and Ruben Hyppolite II showcased high energy in pursuit as tacklers, with the former forcing a fumble. Austin Booker and Andrew Billings both tallied sacks, as well.
Again, it’s only the preseason, but the backup defense looked as advertised when Dennis Allen became the Bears’ defensive coordinator this offseason: aggressive, physical, and stout.
Injuries hit young defenders
It wasn’t all good news for the Bears on Sunday, though there was certainly more good news than bad. Austin Booker and Terell Smith, two young defenders competing for playing time, both suffered knee injuries that saw them depart the game early. Dominique Robinson, J.P. Richardson, and Deion Hankins also got hurt against the Bills.
It remains to be seen exactly how severe the injuries are, as of this writing. However, the fact that two of the players were ruled out pretty soon after they got hurt is worrisome. Best wishes to the four of them for a speedy and full recovery.