CHICAGO – Bills safety Damar Hamlin dove to his left, but he was too far out of position to tackle Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
Buffalo Bills Chicago Bears NFL Preseason Football
Buffalo Bills quarterback Mike White (14) is sacked by Chicago Bears defender Andrew Billings (97) during the first half of an NFL preseason game at Soldier Field on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Cole Bishop, one of the few Bills starters to face the Bears on Sunday night, got beat near the line of scrimmage by Zaccheaus' quick move to the inside. His 36-yard catch and run for a touchdown on Chicago's first drive of their preseason game at Soldier Field was the beginning of an ugly performance by Buffalo's backups.
Bills coach Sean McDermott elected to rest most of his starters, including quarterback Josh Allen, and the result was a 38-0 loss that reflected poorly on the depth of the Super Bowl contender's roster.
The Bears led 28-0 at halftime after they scored on four of their five drives and gained 371 yards of total offense in the first half.
Caleb Williams, Chicago's starting quarterback, completed 6 of 10 passes for 107 yards, including the 36-yard strike to Zaccheaus on a route concept that confused the Bills' secondary. Tyson Bagent, the Bears' backup, went 11 of 16 for 184 yards and a touchdown. In the first half, they had scoring drives that covered 92, 86, 61 and 84 yards.
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The Bills' defense, which replaced Bishop with rookie Jordan Hancock early, allowed five third-down conversions.
There was no semblance of a pass rush for the Bills, and their secondary couldn't cover the Bears' weapons. McDermott rested 11 of his 12 projected starters on defense: Greg Rousseau, DaQuan Jones, Ed Oliver, Joey Bosa, Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Christian Benford, Tre'Davious White and Taylor Rapp. Their night off was an opportunity for the young players on defense to prove they're ready to help this defense in 2025, but there were few, if any, standouts.
The one player who flashed potential, Hancock, suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter and did not return. The Bills didn't have a sack until late in the first half, when edge rusher Michael Hoecht beat a backup tight end to get to Bagent.
It was ugly on offense for the Bills, too, with Mike White starting in place of Allen. Their backup linemen, particularly left tackle Ryan Van Demark and left guard Chase Lundt, struggled to protect White, who stepped into the rush on third and 5 in the second quarter to force Buffalo to punt. They had just 22 yards of total offense until Kristian Wilkerson's 25-yard reception with 1:44 left in the second quarter. McDermott's offense gained just 47 yards on 18 plays and went 0 for 5 on third down before halftime.
The rocky showing puts White behind Mitch Trubisky in the competition to back up Allen this season, but the Bills didn't play James Cook, Keon Coleman or any of their five starters on the offensive line. Even their third-down back, Ty Johnson, didn't play. Ray Davis gained 5 yards on three carries, though his replacement, Frank Gore Jr., had another impressive showing until he fumbled in the red zone. Trubisky took over in the second half and completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards.
The result is meaningless, but the Bills have one more preseason game, and their season opener is less than three weeks away.
McDermott told reporters Friday before their joint practice with the Bears that Allen needs more opportunities with healthy receivers. Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel missed most of training camp. Joshua Palmer played through soreness this week, and he caught one pass for 2 yards Sunday night. They didn't have Cook for a week because of his hold-in to land a contract extension. Training camp is the time for offensive coordinator Joe Brady to experiment and trim an encyclopedia-sized playbook into the scheme you'll see in the regular season.
There are similar issues on defense, most notably at safety. Early last week, McDermott acknowledged time is running short for Bishop and Rapp to be on the field at the same time. Communication is pivotal in the secondary, and the duo doesn't have enough experience together yet. The Bills are healthy on the defensive line and at linebacker, but they also need to see more from their reserve cornerbacks.
There's a chance their first-round pick, cornerback Maxwell Hairston, lands on injured reserve to start the season, and White did not look sharp in the joint practice or first preseason game. Options lower on the depth chart, including rookie Dorian Strong and veteran Dane Jackson, had rough moments against the Bears.
Here are other observations from the game:
1. Defensive growth
Second-year defensive tackle DeWayne Carter thought he returned a fumble for a touchdown, only to learn moments later that it was ruled an incomplete pass.
The more notable contribution on the play was by rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker, who fought through his block to pressure Bagent. Landon Jackson, a rookie edge rusher drafted in the third round, also showed growth. After losing contain on a bootleg early in the game, Jackson read his key and forced an errant throw with a pressure.
2. Kicking progress
It appears the Bills have found their punter.
Brad Robbins punted six times Sunday for 293 yards, a 48.8-yard average, and his longest kick was 62 yards. He also had two punts land inside the 20-yard line. Despite the Bills' struggles on offense, particularly in the first half, Chicago's average starting field position was its own 20-yard line. Through two preseason games, Robbins is averaging 50.91 yards on 12 punts.
3. Andreessen a target
Joe Andreessen understands where he must improve in his second NFL season.
The Depew native is outstanding against the run, and the development he showed as an undrafted rookie has earned him more responsibility from defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. For Andreessen to get on the field more in 2025, though, he must be better in pass coverage. The former UB linebacker received a harsh lesson late in the first quarter, when he stopped covering Maurice Alexander on fourth and 2 to try to make a tackle but Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent threw to Alexander for an 18-yard gain.
4. Strides at wide receiver
The competition at the bottom of the Bills' receiving depth chart is wide open.
Elijah Moore, the most experienced option, dropped two passes in Chicago. Tyrell Shavers, an intriguing option with experience in Brady's system, made an impressive 22-yard catch, but he also allowed a deep ball to slip through his finger tips.
Kristian Wilkerson had a 25-yard catch, and his 27-yard reception was wiped out by Zach Davidson's pass interference penalty. K.J. Hamler had a 15-yard run and a 7-yard catch. Laviska Shenault had three kick returns for 84 yards but did not make an impact on offense. Whoever wins this roster spot must make an impact on special teams, whether that's as a gunner or returner, and there may be an unexpected opening with Samuel still out.
5. Depth on the O-line
The Bills’ depth on the interior offensive line was tested on Sunday with Connor McGovern’s unexpected absence. Kendrick Green started in McGovern’s place since Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf) and Alec Anderson (knee) were not available to play.
Green was a long shot to make the 53-man roster at the start of camp. He’s played only 36 regular-season NFL games since he was a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2021. Van Pran-Granger doesn’t seem close to returning, though, and Anderson has been limited since returning to practice early this week. Jacob Bayer, an undrafted free agent, snapped the ball over Buechele’s head in the preseason opener.
Several other players did not dress because of injury: running back Darrynton Evans (hamstring), cornerback Te’Cory Couch (hamstring), corner/safety Cam Lewis (calf), kicker Tyler Bass (pelvis), receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle) and offensive tackle Tylan Grable (concussion). Defensive end Nelson Ceaser, who signed with the team Thursday, did not play.
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