We can officially say that it is gameday for the Buffalo Bills, where they will take on the new-look Chicago Bears to start out their preseason. While this game won’t count against the record for the season, it matters a whole lot to the players that are not guaranteed to make the final 53-man roster. These games are go-big or go-home for a lot of guys so it will be important for everyone to put their best foot forward to convince the coaching staff that they would be great additions to the final roster.
Head coach Sean McDermott announced this week that Josh Allen and the rest of the starters will play for about a quarter in this game. This is a smart decision to get the starters some reps against players that are not on their own team. Not to mention, Allen and his new-look wide receiver room will need to make sure that they are on the same page early on. After the first quarter, Bills fans will be seeing a whole lot of Mitch Trubisky and Shane Buechele at quarterback.
While the Bills will be playing their starters, it is the same story for the Bears where rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will make his first official debut in the NFL in front of Bills Mafia.
There are two main goals for the Bills in this first preseason game; play hard and stay healthy.
Let’s face it, there is no pressure to win a preseason game. While starting off the unofficial season with a win would be nice, that is not the main goal. This game will be focused on the rotational players and seeing what needs improving. Some players like wide receiver Tyrell Shavers and cornerback Kaiir Elam have had very impressive training camps so Bills fans will want to pay close attention to them.
In addition, this will also be defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s first game where he is in control of the defense. McDermott announced that Babich will be in control of the play calling but would not commit to Babich on a full-time basis.
The Bills and Bears faced off against each other in the final preseason game last year, with the Bills coming out on top 24-21 in Chicago. In a rematch from last year, the Bills start off the preseason with a win against the hyped up Bears in front of their passionate fans.