Bills Central

Bills Notebook: Josh Allen's Old Tricks, Questions Linger After Win Over Bears

The Buffalo Bills had a much better showing in their final preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Nathaniel Marrero

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At long last, the preseason has come to an end for the Buffalo Bills with a 24-21 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Saturday.

Buffalo's performance was night and day from their showing in a 27-15 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 19. The first-team offense flowed, and the Bills' defense forced turnovers and had big stops. 

Now, Buffalo can set its sights on the New York Jets in the season-opener on Sept. 11. Before we look forward to the huge Week 1 divisional matchup, here are four takeaways from the Bills' win over Chicago. 

Starting offense rolls:

It couldn't have gone better for Josh Allen and the starting offense. 

They had an efficient 12-play 72-yard opening drive that culminated in a two-yard run from running back Damien Harris for a touchdown. The Bills also converted three third downs on the drive, including a play when Allen rolled to his right and threw across his body to Gabe Davis for a first down in the red zone.  

Allen completed 5 of 7 passes for 49 yards. 

The performance was good enough that Buffalo's first-team offense didn't see the field for the rest of the day, giving them some much-needed momentum heading into opening night. 

Backup quarterback questions remain:

Kyle Allen had a chance to solidify himself as the backup quarterback with Matt Barkley out due to an elbow injury. 

While Kyle wasn't bad, his performance still left something to be desired. He finished 17 of 33 for 155 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble lost. 

The good included his 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Quintin Morris. The bad was his interception on an underthrown ball and fumbling on a strip-sack that was recovered by Chicago deep in Buffalo territory. 

Kyle's up-and-down performance also gives a glimpse of why the Bills were interested in trading for Trey Lance before he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.

Barkley's injury may mean that Kyle makes the roster out of necessity, but an opportunity to stamp himself as the backup quarterback fell by the wayside.    

Darrynton Evans Making The Team?:

If there's one position that a player can step up for the Bills, it's at running back. 

While Darrynton Evans joined the roster late, he certainly made his case on Saturday. Evans had nine carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. He scored on a 35-yard touchdown where he broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone. 

If Evans was on the bubble of making the Bills' roster, that run may keep him on the team after cutdown day on Tuesday. 

Offensive line and special team woes continue:

Offensive line and special team troubles reared their ugly head for a second straight week. David Edwards and David Queesenberry each had penalties deep in Buffalo territory. 

Edwards' block in the back negated a screen pass to James Cook that went for 18 yards. Kyle threw an interception two plays later. Queesenberry's holding call wasn't costly, as Kyle found Morris for a touchdown on the following play. 

After special teams allowed a huge return against the Steelers, they had a punt blocked late in the fourth quarter, which allowed Chicago to trim the lead to three. 

Tyler Bass also missed a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. 

In a competitive AFC East and with a tough schedule to start the season, those issues will prove costly if they persist.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

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