It’s hard to find many positives in a 38-0 loss, but Pro Football Focus found a few following the Buffalo Bills’ second preseason game.
Of course, there were plenty of negatives, too. Buffalo—mainly playing backups—was thoroughly outplayed in all three phases of the game by the Chicago Bears thanks to poor fundamentals.
While it was a game to forget, here’s a look at players who thrived and struggled against the Bears in Week 2 of the preseason.
Top-5 offensive grades
TE Jackson Hawes: 91.4
WR Deon Cain: 77.5
RG Mike Edwards: 74.3
WR Kristian Wilkerson: 71.6
RB Frank Gore Jr.: 67.9
Hawes and Cain typically would not be included as each played less than 10 overall snaps on offense. In the preseason, however, we will spotlight all players regardless of snap count.
Hawes’ biggest strength against the Bears was in run blocking. He earned an 86.1 grade in that area. The rookie tight end hasn’t shown much as a receiver this preseason, but his blocking ability will give him an immediate role on Buffalo’s roster.
Bottom-3 offensive grades
WR Elijah Moore: 38.4
QB Shane Buechele: 38.3
OL Ryan Van Demark: 30.9
Elijah Moore had an opportunity to show that he was worth keeping on the 53-man roster against the Bears, but he kept the door open for other receivers on the roster. Moore had a few bad drops in the matchup. His worst play, however, was a quick pass that he tried to take outside despite the blocking being set up straight ahead. His decision to try and get near the sideline caused TE Zach Davidson to panic and led to a facemask penalty for the offense.
Ryan Van Demark finds himself with the lowest grade on offense. His back-to-back false starts factored into his grade and upon rewatching the game, he may have gotten away with a few uncalled false start penalties. Despite his poor performance, Buffalo knows what Van Demark brings to the table as a solid piece.
Top-5 defensive grades
DE Michael Hoecht: 76.1
S Wande Owens: 75.9
CB Ja’Marcus Ingram: 70.4
S Jordan Hancock: 69.3
S Darrick Forrest: 67.8
Michael Hoecht played well in the Bills’ preseason opener against the Giants, but he failed to finish on a few plays. This week, Hoecht popped again and was able to finish plays as well. The free-agent signing created a turnover on downs with a fourth-down sack and single-handedly blew up an attempted screen pass early in the game. Hoecht is going to miss the first six games of the season due to suspension, but look for him to be the first defensive end off the bench when he returns to the field.
Ja’Marcus Ingram has had an up-and-down training camp, but his play against the Bears could go a long way toward earning a roster spot. At this point, Ingram has outplayed veteran Dane Jackson by a fairly good margin.
Three safeties being on the list is also a positive based upon how two other safeties vying for a starting role struggled on Sunday night. Wande Owens is worth keeping on the practice squad while Hancock continues to show that his playing time in Buffalo may come sooner rather than later.
Bottom-3 defensive grades
CB Dane Jackson: 30.0
LB Joe Andreessen: 28.7
S Damar Hamlin: 28.1
Signing Dane Jackson in free agency seemed like a solid depth move based on his previous stint with the team, in which he started multiple games. This summer has not been kind to the veteran safety and he finds himself firmly on the outside looking in after two preseason games. Jackson has struggled in coverage and seemed multiple steps behind receivers throughout the preseason.
The Bears exposed Joe Andreessen on Sunday night. Andreessen was surrounded by backups, which never helps, but his coverage woes were on full display. That is the one area that Andreessen needs to improve upon. His roster spot is safe, but he could find himself pushed down the depth chart when the regular season begins.
Damar Hamlin earned the lowest grade in the game after whiffing on a tackle and drawing a penalty. The veteran knows the system and is trusted by the coaching staff, but there are clear limitations in his game. Hamlin should be a depth option only at safety, but he still has a shot to start, as Cole Bishop (40.6) did not fare much better on limited reps.
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