How concerned should we be with Bills’ offensive line after ugly preseason loss?

The offensive line was the weakest position group in the Buffalo Bills’ preseason loss to the Chicago Bears.

Anthony Miller | Aug 11, 2024

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

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Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, and the rest of the coaching staff will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what to do with the offensive line after losing to the Chicago Bears 33-6 in their preseason opener.

The team's struggles in the preseason opener were a sore sight, as the offensive line continuously struggled. The team finished with 77 rushing yards on 26 carries, an average of a measly three yards per carry. Pass protection wasn’t any better, as the Bills' quarterbacks were sacked eight times, and the Bears got 11 quarterback hits on them.

Starting with the running game’s struggles, it seemed as though Brady and company wanted to stick with running the ball up the middle for most of the game. The interior guards struggled with getting any kind of holes to open and Chicago was plugging them all game.

The Buffalo quarterbacks in this game got beat up pretty well. Josh Allen scrambled out of the pocket once late in the first frame, and head coach Sean McDermott was done with that after the first quarter. Mitchell Trubisky and Shane Buechele took the brunt of the hits, with Buechele getting sacked six times and frequently running for his life around the backfield. Three of the top five runners in the game were the quarterbacks.

There’s a bevy of excuses to chalk to the unit’s struggles up to: it was the first game of the year, the starters only played a handful of drives, the players who most obviously struggled won’t play in the regular season, Buffalo didn’t gameplan for the game and all players were, thus, going in blind, etc. That said, one could justifiably be slightly concerned about the line after this ugly outing, especially after the snapping issues reporters noted they saw from new center Connor McGovern throughout training camp. Though it’s only been one game, the absence of departed veteran Mitch Morse was noticed; the new unit needs to build chemistry, which will hopefully come with increased reps.

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele (6) throws a pass under pressure from Chicago Bears defensive end Khalid Kareem (52) in the fourth quarter of a pre-season game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps we see scheme and playcalling changes in the upcoming weeks, or simply a more tangible gameplan. Brady might go with more screen passes and running plays to the outside to take the pressure off the offensive guards (Buffalo found success with a screen pass in its preseason loss as Curtis Samuel turned a quick pass into a 15-yard gain). He could get the quarterbacks rolling out of the pocket more, as Allen is dangerous when running.

Fans will eagerly wait for the next two preseason games to see what adjustments the Bills can make before their regular season opener. It is then that we can accurately determine whether or not the offensive line is a major concern.

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