Bills drop monotonous 2024 NFL preseason opener to Bears, 33-6

A disappointing start to the preseason, but surely no one will overreact to preseason action right? Right guys?

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs with the ball against Buffalo Bills cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram (46)during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

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The Buffalo Bills have now put their first preseason game in the books, dropping their opener to the Chicago Bears 33-6. It was a fairly boring game, as many preseason games tend to be, but there are still some takeaways and analyses we can glean from these scraps the proverbial football gods have given to us.

For those who are unfamiliar with a David Faux post-game recap article, I like to do things a bit differently. With highlights being readily available to people online, it seems a bit fruitless to simply rehash the game itself; rather, I like to put players, coaches, etc. into four categories and explain my reasoning. Inspire is the best or most inspiring performance of the game. Inquire is a performance that leaves us with some questions to ask. Require is an area that requires a better performance next week. Finally, Irk is... aptly the most irksome part of the game.

With all the technicalities out the way, let’s proceed into the recap.

Inspire: Tyler Bass

Bills kicker Tyler Bass signs the jersey of Alex Rzepecki, 11, from Phoenix, AZ at the end of day three of the Buffalo Bills training camp. Alex, along with his mother Jennifer Rzepecki, a native of Buffalo, are proudly wearing their Water Buffalo Club hats in support of the Bills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

After the Bills’ 2023 season ended on a Tyler Bass missed field goal against the dreaded and seemingly inevitable Kansas City Chiefs, there were concerns about Bass’ once seemingly automatic ability to make nearly any field goal. Those concerns were amplified by a training camp that has shown him struggling to make kicks from distance, a skill that is certainly in his skill set.

Whatever is happening mechanically or psychologically for Bass seemed to all click together Saturday as he connected on two field goals, one short from 24 yards, and one from 49 yards out (five yards longer than the one he missed in the playoffs against the Chiefs). It’s been tough for Bass this summer, but hopefully some live-action conversions from different distances will bolster his confidence, get him back in rhythm, and allow him to return to his automatic ways.

Related: Bills survive minor Ed Oliver injury scare, pull Josh Allen early vs. Bears

Inquire: Backup Quarterback

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (11) throws a pass in the second quarter of a pre-season game against the Chicago Bears at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a classic story about Peyton Manning when he played for the Colts. Jon Gruden once asked offensive coordinator Tom Moore, “Why doesn’t the backup get more snaps? What if Peyton goes down?” The great Moore responded simply: “If 18 goes down, we’re f*cked. And we don’t practice f*cked."

To borrow from this story, if Josh Allen goes down, well, you can fill in the rest. Mitchell Trubisky looked as he’s looked throughout his entire career on Saturday: a mobile quarterback who has a reasonable arm, but inconsistent accuracy and slow processing speed. Shane Beuchele seems to offer even less than that. At the end of the day, when you have an elite, game-changing, rarified talent at quarterback like Allen, the team essentially rides and dies with him. Why did they spend money on Trubisky then? Why not go cheaper at the position like they’ve done the last few seasons? A good question, one that should be asked of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

Require: Offensive Line

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on from the sidelines against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

A bit of a disappointing showing from the Bills' offensive line. This was a unit that played at a high level through most of the 2023 season but struggled to find its footing in today’s game. The starting unit struggled to get consistent blocking in their first few drives, getting some good push on some plays but struggling on others. In later drives with the backup unit in, they struggled to protect Trubisky and gain ground in the run game.

In previous seasons, this sort of concern was pretty typical, and Allen would normally work around those concerns. With the shift towards a more run-oriented offense, the offensive line needs to be able to create space for James Cook, Ray Davis, etc. It’s not a concern, as the talent and coaching are definitely evident for the Bills, and there shouldn’t be a major concern from preseason action. That being said, there’s a difference between preseason issues, and simply not playing well, and today, the offensive line as a unit did not play well. 

Related: 2024 Bills 53-man roster projection: Pre-preseason edition

 Irk: Offense

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) hands the ball off to Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills made a point of getting Allen reps with his wide receivers, but because the defense couldn’t get off the field quickly, he only attempted three passes, one of which was a screen pass. While that screen pass is fairly encouraging in and of itself for a team that has barely tried to use screens since Allen has become the quarterback, it is a bit disappointing that the otherworldly passer didn’t get the opportunity in game action to get more in tune with his receivers, as it was reported that was the main reason why they decided to play him and other starters in the first place. It’s nothing to be concerned about, but it will be interesting to see how McDermott decides to handle the reps for the offensive starters moving forward throughout the rest of the preseason.

The Bills will face the Pittsburgh Steelers next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Will the starters get more reps than they did today? Will we see the offensive line improve? Will the receivers be more involved if the starters play extended time? We will find out all that and more next week.

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