We are just over a week from seeing some Buffalo Bills football. If that doesn’t get fans excited for the season, I don’t know what will. Well, maybe seeing games that actually count. However, any kind of football is better than nothing. After months of going through free agency, NFL Draft coverage, OTAs, and now training camp, we are ready for some football games where players are hitting someone other than their own teammates.
The Bills will have the luxury of not going too far throughout preseason. They will be at home twice, and are only going one state over for their only away game. Preseason football is all about figuring out the depth chart and who earns a roster spot. Brandon Beane and the front office are going to have to make some tough decisions with the roster. Maybe there will be surprising cuts, but there is a good idea as to who will make the roster depending on the position.
Going into preseason, here is the Bills’ preseason schedule:
Week 1: Chicago Bears
Saturday, August 10th - 1:00PM
The Bears come to Orchard Park and it is a good thing that Buffalo will only have to see them in preseason. Who knows if the Bears will start rookie Caleb Williams, or any starter at that point. Chicago has a lot of talent and they will also be looking to evaluate their young talent. This is going to be an electric game because it is the first “official” Bills game of the year. Bills fans will need to be on the lookout for whether or not starters will play, as well as who we could see a lot of during this game.
Week 2: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Saturday, August 17th - 7:00PM
The Bills will travel to Western Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Thursday, August 15th, the Bills and Steelers will have a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium (which is closed to the public) so the Bills will get a better idea as to what they will be facing on the 17th. Last year in the preseason, the Steelers absolutely embarrassed the Bills, beating them 27-15 and made it look like Buffalo never even showed up for the game.
Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott are familiar with each other, having been teammates at William & Mary during their college years. Both coaches have been successful in their own way, but they each have advantages over each other as well. Pittsburgh is a great test for the Bills because the Steelers always seem to have the “next man up” mentality so there should be a great amount of challenges heading towards Buffalo.
Week 3: Carolina Panthers
Saturday, August 24th - 1:00PM
Sean McDermott’s old team comes back up to Buffalo once again, but this Panthers team is very different from when McDermott was the defensive coordinator there. It’s a new regime (aside from general manager Dan Morgan who spent time with the Bills from 2018-2020), and at the end of the day, it is the final preseason game before the regular season kicks off. At this point, we will already have a good idea as to who will be making the final 53-man roster before, during, and after this game.