The Buffalo Bills have a Chicago Bears problem. For the second summer in a row, they find themselves on the wrong end of a steamroll loss. In 2024, Buffalo dropped a 33-6 snoozer to a rookie quarterback the defense couldn’t stop, one Caleb Williams.
Tonight, they bested that busted effort, losing 38-0 while letting Williams and the rest of Chicago’s offense look like the second coming of the Greatest Show on Turf. Hold up: It’s preseason, none of this matters. Right?
That’s 100% true. But humor me for a few moments below. I’m not here to alarm anyone, but it’s my job to report on Bills games, and something far different unfolded late Sunday night. Something far too reminiscent of a Gregg Williams canvas. You’re welcome, America!
Let me reason with you. There’s a lot to ignore from tonight’s Bills-Bears clash. Really, all of it if you’re a Bills fan. Sure there were some highlights, namely the continued hustle from defensive tackle Deone Walker who’s shown capable of rushing the pass.
Yes, the punting game looked good, and that opening boot by rookie kicker Caden Davis was a thing of beauty. There was also the in-box interview from general manager Brandon Beane in the third quarter, which included an amusing story about his cell phone during the Steinfeld-Allen wedding.
But then you stop and realize that in order to find enough positives, one begins to suffocate in negative plays. I’m one of the first to tell people that thinking too hard about what unfolded in any preseason game is a fool’s game, especially with the McDermott Bills, at best. Yet, still… Sunday night was truly awful football from Buffalo. Truth be told, it was fundamentally flawed play in nearly every aspect. Remember, however, that it is just preseason play.
As head coach, Sean McDermott takes a certain approach to preseason games, and that’s to exit them healthy and without revealing much in strategy. McDermott even told reporters following the Week 1 preseason loss against the New York Giants that there’s very little (perhaps zero) game-planning put into these scrimmages. He values the role evaluation plays in looking at players stripped down to their barest element void of team-specific game planning. It’s my guess that very little of the team’s playbook is revealed in these games — instead it may simply be more conceptual ball within the confines of a preferred general scheme.
But then injuries throw things off, as was the case with rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock. After Hancock was ruled out with a shoulder injury, the Bills shifted to a 4-3 base defense. The short story here is that it’s impossible to get a clear read on this team from preseason play.
Will that come back to haunt Buffalo when the regular season begins? It remains to be seen, but it’s worth mentioning that the Baltimore Ravens have tread similar waters in holding out starters in the preseason. That said, I won’t worry that reserve linebacker Joe Andreessen looked terrible in his start, but playing alongside other defensive backups, some further down the list than himself.
Does it appear as though the team has too many questions and concerns at safety? Yes, and saying otherwise is stuff of blind fandom. But again, the Bills have told us time and again that they couldn’t care less about preseason matchups. Such as it is, we have to view Chicago’s offensive output through a different lens. One team has a new head coach installing a progressive offensive philosophy. The other features a team whose head coach enters year nine, and with one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks coming off an MVP season.
No matter how bad the stats appear, and it’s a scary read, the Bears entered action on Sunday night with a far different objective than the Bills. It’s worth wondering instead whether or not McDermott, offensive coordinator Joe Brad, and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich saw what they were looking to define regardless of stats and score.
But again, with hopefully enough emphasis that these figures deserve: Looking over team stats (image below courtesy of NFLGSIS.com), you’re bound to be shocked as I was when first reading them over. Ready?
That’s a lot to unpack and why I chose to upload an image instead of writing it out. Look at the passing statistics, and those rushing numbers! Game action had the announcers claiming how fun it was to watch Tyson Bagent play football.
Again, none of it matters because this is just the preseason. Buffalo was outplayed in every sense of the word. It’s now the team’s worst preseason loss in 50 years of data, at least of which Bills reporter Thad Brown could find. He rightfully notes what happened the year Buffalo lost this way at Soldier field.
Back to objectives. Was the objective to play a fundamentally flawed brand of football that showcased a lack of discipline in obvious situations? Were they intent on looking fully inept in the trenches, especially on defense after another offseason remake? That’s for them to answer.
They better be sure to find out the truth behind this shellacking. Otherwise, I’m not certain how you even evaluate what happened on the field, let alone designate who earns QB2.
Once more, with feeling, I implore you to remember that, for now: It’s the preseason, you shouldn’t worry. Yet. Even Josh Allen forgot to close his interview with a signature “Go Bills!”
For tonight, all Bills Mafia can do is complain and yearn for the regular season to usher in the return of Josh Allen football. There’s no need to overreact. There are difficult questions to be asked, and tougher answers to give. It’s going to get interesting at One Bills Drive in the next nine days, so hang on.
The regular season can’t get here soon enough.