{"id":297111,"date":"2025-08-18T04:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T04:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/297111\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T04:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T04:25:18","slug":"theres-a-lot-to-ignore-from-bills-vs-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/297111\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a lot to ignore from Bills vs. Bears\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Bills have a Chicago Bears problem. For the second summer in a row, they find themselves on the wrong end of a steamroll loss. In 2024, Buffalo dropped a 33-6 snoozer to a rookie quarterback the defense couldn\u2019t stop, one Caleb Williams.<\/p>\n

Tonight, they bested that busted effort, losing 38-0 while letting Williams and the rest of Chicago\u2019s offense look like the second coming of the Greatest Show on Turf. Hold up: It\u2019s preseason, none of this matters. Right?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s 100% true. But humor me for a few moments below. I\u2019m not here to alarm anyone, but it\u2019s my job to report on Bills games, and something far different unfolded late Sunday night. Something far too reminiscent of a Gregg Williams canvas. You\u2019re welcome, America!<\/p>\n

Let me reason with you. There\u2019s a lot to ignore from tonight\u2019s Bills-Bears clash. Really, all of it if you\u2019re a Bills fan. Sure there were some highlights, namely the continued hustle from defensive tackle Deone Walker who\u2019s shown capable of rushing the pass.<\/p>\n

Yes, the punting game looked good, and that opening boot by rookie kicker Caden Davis was a thing of beauty. There was also the in-box interview from general manager Brandon Beane in the third quarter, which included an amusing story about his cell phone during the Steinfeld-Allen wedding.<\/p>\n

But then you stop and realize that in order to find enough positives, one begins to suffocate in negative plays. I\u2019m one of the first to tell people that thinking too hard about what unfolded in any preseason game is a fool\u2019s game, especially with the McDermott Bills, at best. Yet, still\u2026 Sunday night was truly awful football from Buffalo. Truth be told, it was fundamentally flawed play in nearly every aspect. Remember, however, that it is just preseason play.<\/p>\n

As head coach, Sean McDermott takes a certain approach to preseason games, and that\u2019s to exit them healthy and without revealing much in strategy. McDermott even told reporters following the Week 1 preseason loss against the New York Giants that there\u2019s very little (perhaps zero) game-planning put into these scrimmages. He values the role evaluation plays in looking at players stripped down to their barest element void of team-specific game planning. It\u2019s my guess that very little of the team\u2019s playbook is revealed in these games \u2014 instead it may simply be more conceptual ball within the confines of a preferred general scheme.<\/p>\n

But then injuries throw things off, as was the case with rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock. After Hancock was ruled out with a shoulder injury, the Bills shifted to a 4-3 base defense. The short story here is that it\u2019s impossible to get a clear read on this team from preseason play.<\/p>\n

Will that come back to haunt Buffalo when the regular season begins? It remains to be seen, but it\u2019s worth mentioning that the Baltimore Ravens have tread similar waters in holding out starters in the preseason. That said, I won\u2019t worry that reserve linebacker Joe Andreessen looked terrible in his start, but playing alongside other defensive backups, some further down the list than himself.<\/p>\n

Does it appear as though the team has too many questions and concerns at safety? Yes, and saying otherwise is stuff of blind fandom. But again, the Bills have told us time and again that they couldn\u2019t care less about preseason matchups. Such as it is, we have to view Chicago\u2019s offensive output through a different lens. One team has a new head coach installing a progressive offensive philosophy. The other features a team whose head coach enters year nine, and with one of the NFL\u2019s best quarterbacks coming off an MVP season.<\/p>\n

No matter how bad the stats appear, and it\u2019s a scary read, the Bears entered action on Sunday night with a far different objective than the Bills. It\u2019s worth wondering instead whether or not McDermott, offensive coordinator Joe Brad, and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich saw what they were looking to define regardless of stats and score.<\/p>\n

But again, with hopefully enough emphasis that these figures deserve: Looking over team stats (image below courtesy of NFLGSIS.com), you\u2019re bound to be shocked as I was when first reading them over. Ready?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot to unpack and why I chose to upload an image instead of writing it out. Look at the passing statistics, and those rushing numbers! Game action had the announcers claiming how fun it was to watch Tyson Bagent play football.<\/p>\n

Again, none of it matters because this is just the preseason. That fact won\u2019t stop me from saying that Buffalo was outplayed in every sense of the word. It\u2019s now the team\u2019s worst preseason loss in 50 years of data, at least that which Bills reporter Thad Brown could find. He rightfully notes what happened the year Buffalo lost this way at Soldier field.<\/p>\n

Back to objectives. Was the objective to play a fundamentally flawed brand of football that showcased a lack of discipline in obvious situations? Were they intent on looking fully inept in the trenches, especially on defense after another offseason remake? That\u2019s for them to answer.<\/p>\n

They better be sure to find out the truth behind this shellacking. Otherwise, I\u2019m not certain how you even evaluate what happened on the field, let alone designate who earns QB2. And what\u2019s the plan at safety? They need one, possibly several.<\/p>\n

Once more, with feeling, I implore you to remember that, for now: It\u2019s the preseason, you shouldn\u2019t worry. Yet. Even Josh Allen forgot to close his interview with a signature \u201cGo Bills!\u201d<\/p>\n

For tonight, all Bills Mafia can do is complain and yearn for the regular season to usher in the return of Josh Allen football. There\u2019s no need to overreact. There are difficult questions to be asked, and tougher answers to give. It\u2019s going to get interesting at One Bills Drive in the next nine days, so hang on.<\/p>\n

The regular season can\u2019t get here soon enough.<\/p>\n

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