There is low concern despite slow preseason start for Bills

Despite losing 33-6 to the Bears in Week 1 of the preseason, the Bills came away without any major injury concerns, which is a win in a way. Ed Oliver gave everyone a scare when he suffered a knee injury on the opening play from scrimmage and never returned to action, but the medical staff did clear him to return. Otherwise, there are no injuries to note after head coach Sean McDermott stated, “Injury-wise, from what I know so far, we came out okay,” in his post-game press conference.

According to ESPN over 69,000 fans showed up Saturday, so the fan disappointment from the preseason showing is understandable. However, this is the time for teams to get reps and grow as units and individuals. As Josh Allen said: “make mistakes now”. Neither team had a gameplan for the exhibition, but there are still a few things to take away from all three phases of the game. 

Offense

The Bills offensive line didn’t give the running backs much room to run on Saturday. The Bills backs rushed for 36 yards on 19 carries. The lack of push up front leaves a lot to be desired with the offense, but the Bears gave up the fewest rushing yards last season and have already played in a preseason game. Additionally, the Bills were not changing plays at the line of scrimmage based on Chicago’s defensive alignment, per Connor McGovern. So even though this wasn’t a great showing, it’s not as concerning as it may seem on the surface.

On a positive note, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel took short passes and turned them into 15+ yard gains. The success of this offense will be dependent on yards after the catch and it looks like these two receivers fit right into the scheme. Keon Coleman also recorded his first professional catch. Ray Davis and Frank Gore Jr. also provided some positive plays in the passing game out of the backfield. Joe Brady loves to utilize running backs in the passing attack, so there’s reason to be excited about these rookies.

Lastly, Mitchell Trubisky and Shane Buechele were seemingly overwhelmed with the task at QB. Missed blocks by the o-line, drops by wide receivers, as well as inaccurate passes, all contributed to the poor performances by both backup quarterbacks. Let’s hope they are not called into action during the regular season, outside of mop-up duty.

Level of concern: 2/10

Defense

The Bills’ pass rush was non-existent on Saturday as Dorian Williams recorded the lone sack for the defense. When the edge rushers won on the outside, the interior linemen failed to get any push up the middle and the QB could step up in the pocket to avoid the rush. Subsequently, when the defensive tackles pressured the QB up the middle, it appeared the outside was open for the QB to escape the pressure. They were also going against one of the most highly-touted QB prospects in recent memory who has good escapability.

Although the defense allowed 141 yards on the ground, AJ Epenesa and Gregory Rousseau set the edge well while they were on the field. Additionally, cornerbacks Rasul Douglas, Taron Johnson and Kaiir Elam stepped up and made some impressive tackles on Chicago’s running backs. Javon Soloman, who was thought of as a pass-rushing specialist when drafted, had two stops in the contest and was a surprising factor against the run as well. 

The secondary struggled at times against the Bears’ passing attack but wasn’t terrible considering the lack of pressure generated. The defense gave up a few big plays. Former Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney was left wide open down the seam for 25 yards, Cole Kmet caught a ball down the sideline for 26 yards, Dante Pettis got loose on the left side for 34 yards and there was a screen to D’andre Swift for 42 yards. The Bills would like all those plays back. Still, the long-term concern is minimal.

Level of concern: 3/10

Special Teams

Tyler Bass made both of his attempts from 24 and 49 yards. Some fans have been critical of Bass since he missed a potential game-tying kick against the Chiefs in the playoffs last season. This was a positive to see the ball go through the uprights for Bass.

Sam Martin hit some nice punts on Saturday, including his first kick that went 62 yards and was downed on the Bears’ 3-yard line. He later hit a 50-yard punt with great direction such that the returner ran out of bounds after fielding the ball at the 16-yard line. However, he had two “shanks” that failed to flip field position and two punts that allowed returns of 20 and 16 yards. Four of the six punts allowed the Bears to begin drives at their own 37-yard line or better, which is less than ideal.

It was a windy day in Orchard Park, which gave returners KJ Hamler and Daequan Hardy some trouble. Hamler muffed a punt and Hardy fielded one at his own 4-yard line. It appears that there is a path to the roster for someone to grab the reins of the returner position. 

Level of concern: 5/10

Overall, it is obvious this team needs the reps this preseason and I believe we will see more of the 1’s against the Steelers in Week 2 of the preseason. Sean McDermott’s strong relationship with Mike Tomlin (both William & Mary alum) will allow the Bills coaching staff to feel comfortable putting their franchise QB on the field with the rest of the starters to get additional reps. The Bills will participate in joint practices with the Steelers in the week leading up to the game and fans should expect this squad to look much sharper on Saturday, August 17th. 

Overall Concern: 3/10