Top 5 takeaways from Bills’ 33-6 loss to the Bears

Chicago Bears v Buffalo Bills — Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images

Buffalo made its debut at home to a good crowd but failed to impress in its first preseason action of 2024.

The Buffalo Bills’ 2024 NFL preseason debut was an ugly one. Playing in front of a lively home crowd, the team failed to impress and was steamrolled by the more disciplined Chicago Bears, 33-6.

Preseason performances hardly ever are any indication of regular-season success, but with some starting spots up for grabs and many players fighting for depth roles among the 53 players that’ll make the team, it was fair to expect more. Below are my top five takeaways from Saturday’s loss.

New offensive identity could be seen, bringing a huge question mark

With quarterback Josh Allen playing one and a half drives, and the remainder of the starters being able to, at least, finish the second drive, we could see a bit of what Joe Brady has in mind for the team’s offense in 2024.

It’s game one of the preseason, and obviously the Bills’ offensive coordinator wasn’t working deep in his playbook to give opponents tape to use when preparing a game plan. However, we could see a tendency to utilize a ball-control offense to punish opposing defenses that opt for protecting the depth of the field with two safeties lining up over the top — challenging the Bills to run the ball against light boxes. That’s an approach we’ve seen recently as chief among the rules on how to defend a Josh Allen-led offense. With the running game working properly, it should force those defenses to adapt, exposing themselves to play-action passes and more explosive plays in the passing game.

It looks great on paper, but there’s a major question mark: What if the run game struggles, even against light boxes? That was the case on Saturday, and it resulted in a quick three-and-out on the first drive — and Josh Allen having to make things happen with his legs on third downs in the other, which isn’t ideal in a preseason game.

The Bills’ run game was really good under Brady in 2023, but we can’t forget what may be the biggest reason for it — Josh Allen’s threat as a runner. Buffalo tried to protect its quarterback last year by not running him at all during the first five weeks of the season, and it didn’t work well, culminating in the dismissal of former OC Ken Dorsey.

Brady had the green light to run Josh when he took over, but it might not be the case now. Will the Bills be able to establish the run game while they protect their biggest asset early on? Saturday’s first test didn’t look good in that regard, and it’s something they’ll need to figure out quickly.

Bad start in the trenches

Saturday was the first opportunity to watch the new offensive and defensive line groups playing together in real game situations. The results were a bit alarming.

The offensive line, for the first time with Connor McGovern at center and David Edwards as the full-time starting left guard, struggled to impose themselves and create holes in the running game — which meant that running backs James Cook (0.5 yards per carry on four attempts) and Ray Davis (0.4 yards per carry on five attempts) didn’t stand a chance. The unit did a good job in pass protection, but that’s not enough when your plan is to pound the rock and stay on the field for long drives.

With what looks to be the philosophy for this offense, they need to figure it out quickly, or once again Josh Allen will be asked to play Superman to cover up the offense’s shortcomings.

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line was doing okay on early downs. However, on 3rd-&-Long situations, they clearly couldn’t generate enough pressure on four-man rushes, struggling with Bears’ rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ play-extending abilities and ultimately unable to get off the field.

Having defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and edge rusher Von Miller, who were out for this game, and defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who left the game after just one snap but seems to be fine, on the field certainly will help. Regardless, this front four needs to generate enough pressure by itself so they can allow their second-level defenders to help the revamped secondary in coverage more often.

A glimpse into the future of Bills’ WR group

With wide receiver Mack Hollins sidelined on Saturday, we saw a heavy rotation between receivers Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, and Marques Valdes-Scantling with the ones. The results were a mixed bag.

Love seeing Curtis Samuel get involved early. Takes a screen 14 yards pic.twitter.com/6sZDoiVbPX
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2024

On the bright side, Shakir and Samuel looked really good. Shakir seems ready for a breakout season, showcasing his burst and quarterback-friendly tendency to make himself available for quick and easy completions. Samuel looked very comfortable and smooth being used in the screen game and as a chess piece on Joe Brady’s board. The pair are likely to be crucial for the passing game’s success this season.

The other two receivers weren’t as inspiring against the Bears. Keon Coleman made his first NFL catch, snagging an eight-yard curl route thrown by quarterback Mitch Trubisky, but other than that he struggled a bit dealing with Bears cornerback Jaylon Jones’ physicality. Coleman was close to making a play in the end zone and even argued a bit about a potential foul on the play, but that type of physicality is something he’ll need to learn how to deal with and find ways of overcoming. Valdes-Scantling had a drop in his only target. Enough said.

The other wide receivers deeper down the roster couldn’t show much, mostly due to awful games by Trubisky and third quarterback Shane Buchele. Trubisky struggled with ball placement as usual, but Buchele’s reluctance to throw the ball at the end of his dropbacks, resulting in unnecessary scrambles and six(!) sacks taken, are hard to excuse. I can’t believe he’s the best option as the third-stringer/developmental QB available on the market.

Plenty of work to be done on special teams

The returner job is wide open and no candidate separated himself from the pack. Wide receiver K.J. Hamler, the number-one option for now, muffed a kick but was able to recover it — not the best first impression. Wide receiver Andy Isabella, running back Darrynton Evans, and rookie cornerback Daequan Hardy all had looks and the battle should continue next week.

Punter Sam Martin started the day with a 62-yard beauty, downed inside the Bears’ five-yard line. After that, it went downhill quickly. He shanked a couple of punts against the wind, showing everybody yet again that he lacks the leg to consistently kick well in Highmark Stadium. Martin finished the day with a 46.5 average on six attempts, despite one huge kick bringing that number up.

The good news for special teams was the performance of Tyler Bass, who hit his two field goal attempts, one from 24 and another from 49 yards. Bass needs those badly on his way to recovering the mojo from early in his NFL career.

One new addition made its presence felt

Despite the ugly result, there were some positives. The most noticeable being the use of the red flag by head coach Sean McDermott.

The Bills famously hired “officiating liaison” John Parry, a former NFL referee, to assist them with questions related to officiating — mainly to help with the challenges, something McDermott has struggled with during his career with the Bills. The early results couldn’t have been any better.

McDermott used his red flag pretty assertively twice in the game — both times quickly after the plays and without hesitation. The challenges were on catches that were ruled on the field as completed passes and that were easily recognized as incomplete after review. For now, it’s hard to argue about bringing Parry on board. Through one week of 2024 preseason action, he certainly has been the most efficient addition by the Buffalo Bills.

Quick bullets

Nothing special about defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s play-calling — nothing impressive to write home about. Though I don’t believe the poor plays on defense were due to his play-calling. I just believe McDermott MUST take over the play-calling duties during the regular season and become a difference-maker on that side of the ball. He needs to be on defense what guys like Andy Reid, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan, just to name a few, are to their teams on offense. It’s hard to justify a defensive head coach otherwise, and it’s McDermott’s defense, after all. No more delegating.
Rasul Douglas showed, on a third-down stop, why he’s the prototypical cornerback for Sean McDermott’s defense. We all know about his play-making abilities, but his physicality and willingness to put his body in harm’s way while tackling big backs in the run game makes him the total package there.
After earning a starting spot in the first preseason depth chart, and starting the game alongside Taylor Rapp today, Damar Hamlin failed to impress. He didn’t play poorly, but he was just the same old Hamlin we all know— solid all around, avoiding mistakes, but not making big plays. I’m afraid Rapp already is this kind of safety, and we really need more game-changing plays from the other position. If rookie safety Cole Bishop isn’t ready soon, don’t be surprised to see Cam Lewis leapfrog Hamlin on the depth chart before Week 1. He’s always around the ball and despite being called for a foul Saturday, he was right there for a difference-making play.
Austin Johnson did well filling in for DaQuan Jones, I believe the Bills might have finally found a solid backup for the veteran.
I was expecting more from veterans Deion Jones at linebacker and Kareem Jackson at safety playing against third-stringers. They looked to me like they really are on their last legs.
Impressive performance by Gable Steveson in his first-ever football action. He finished the game with one tackle on the stat sheet, but consistently gave opposing interior offensive linemen trouble with his power and quickness, flashing in the opposing quarterback’s face once and drawing some double teams after it.
Rookies Javon Solomon (defensive end) and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (center) had very solid debuts. Solomon flashed his ability to bend and generate some pressure, and Van Pran-Granger was very calm, collected, and stout playing the pivot. Neither are likely to factor into the starting lineup anytime soon, but it seems the Bills have found some gems late in the draft yet again.

Catch up with all this and more within my latest edition of Leading the Charge!