The Buffalo Bills’ significant defeat against the Chicago Bears was “definitely not reflective of our expectations,” stated coach Sean McDermott, who expressed his “worry” about the team’s overall show in their second preseason match.
The Bills mostly fielded their second-string players against Caleb Williams and the Bears’ first team in the early part of Sunday’s contest, resulting in a 38-0 loss where they were outgained 528-180.
“Definitely not reflective of our expectations, what we aim for,” McDermott remarked. “We have a lot to improve on, that’s clear. It doesn’t matter who is on the field—starters, backups, or anyone else—we anticipate better execution and a higher standard of performance than what was displayed.”
Safety Cole Bishop and wide receiver Joshua Palmer were the two expected starters for the Bills who actually participated, having previously missed part of training camp due to injuries. Bishop took part in 11 plays against the Bears’ starting offense, while Palmer was involved in eight plays.
McDermott refrained from naming individual players and acknowledged that most of the starters, including Josh Allen, were rested since the Bills wanted to focus on their health, expressing confidence in the first unit’s progress following last week’s joint practices with the Bears.
However, McDermott stressed that he sought improved performances from the Buffalo backups, particularly the defense, which had difficulties against Williams and the Bears’ starting offense.
“Going up against their starters, I expect — we expect — to contend with them, and that wasn’t the situation initially,” McDermott remarked. “And for our second string against their second string, and our third string versus their third string — it didn’t show much improvement.
“So we need to review it, identify some issues, and assess certain players to gauge our current state. We have a considerable amount of work ahead as we progress this week.”
Williams participated in two drives during his debut preseason game with new head coach Ben Johnson, completing 6 out of 10 passes for 107 yards and achieving a 130 quarterback rating. The top pick for the 2024 draft led a seven-play, 92-yard initial drive, culminating in a 36-yard touchdown throw to Olamide Zaccheaus.
McDermott commented that Williams was “in sync” and “hit his stride immediately.”
“Now we have to deal with him,” McDermott noted. “[The Bears’] quarterback rating at the conclusion of the game speaks volumes.”
The defending AFC East champions, who have claimed the title five times in a row, have given up a total of 72 points and 924 yards of offense in the first two preseason matchups. While he stated he doesn’t want to overreact to how second- and third-string players perform in the preseason, McDermott also recognized the need for improvement prior to the regular season.
“I have concerns regarding numerous aspects following tonight’s game… There is much that needs refinement,” McDermott remarked, noting that the Bills had been “out-fundamentaled” and needed to return to the basic principles of the game. The Bills were penalized 10 times compared to the Bears’ five infractions.
The Bills will start the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday night game on September 7.
