So I am currently looking at flights to Santa Clara for early February to watch the Bears win the Super Bowl after Sunday night’s performance. Kidding, but man was that fun to watch I was blown away with the attention to detail, and sharpness that the Bears and specifically Caleb Williams displayed on national TV.
Week 2 vs the Buffalo Bills
In my previous article found here, I mentioned that this would be the best test for the Bears in the preseason and that was true although it wasn’t as much a test as I had hoped originally. The reason being Sean McDermott decided to sit most of his starters on both sides of the ball.
He did this for two reasons; first and foremost, he felt good about the joint practice last Friday and the way his starting units showed up. Second, he wanted to afford an opportunity to his guys that are backups and or on the bubble of making the roster to step up and make some plays. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen as the Bills were routed 38-0.
The Bears started the game with a Tyler Scott botched return that went out to their own 8-yard line. This set the stage for the Ben Johnson Caleb Williams Era to begin at Soldier Field since Williams sat out week one of the preseason against the Dolphins. Williams led an efficient 7-play 92-yard drive capped off with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus. Johnson said this year he wants Caleb to be operating on a 70% completion percentage, which is no easy feat, but Williams went 5/6 on the opening drive for 97 yards, efficient indeed.
They opened the drive with a play-action bootleg to Colston Loveland, the number 10 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Williams followed that play up with a 28-yard dime over the middle to Cole Kmet, his other tight end. This was great to see, considering Johnson ran a lot of 12-man personnel in Detroit with two tight-end sets. If he can bring anything from Detroit, that style of offense would be paramount.
Following the Kmet catch, Williams hit DJ Moore with a quick gain of 5 yards. Deion Hankins, the rookie out of Texas State, had a carry that got called back on a holding call committed by Drew Dalman. This is critical because the Bears’ offense has been known to stall and have “drive killers” like penalties, but they were able to settle in and still execute.
Caleb responded by throwing a 19-yard pass to Colston Loveland. Getting back on track and staying on time for this group will be key in Johnson’s offense. Deion ran for a quick 5 yards, then a missed throw to Zaccheaus, followed by a 36-yard touchdown throw to Zaccheaus to finish the drive. 93 yards, 3 minutes, and 52 seconds later, the Bears looked different.
The rest of the game the Bears were able to dominate in multiple facets. The Bears’ defensive front turned a 2024 weakness into a strength. Andrew Billings and Austin Booker each recorded key third-down sacks that halted Buffalo drives and led to Bears touchdowns. Booker now leads the NFL in preseason sacks with four.
Chicago had 10 pass plays of 15+ yards, a major improvement from last season when they ranked 30th in explosive pass plays. Ben Johnson credited the players’ mindset and execution more than scheme for the offensive fireworks. Finally, the Bears were able to showcase some depth. Backup QBs Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed both led scoring drives, and the Bears racked up 580 total yards. The defense held Buffalo to just 180 yards, showcasing depth and readiness across the roster with most of the starters out of the game, in all but two of Buffalo’s offensive series.
Week 3 vs the Chiefs
Looking ahead to the final week of the preseason, the Bears will be traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, Friday Night. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that his starters will begin the game, including Patrick Mahomes. Reid didn’t exactly specify how long they would play and one would assume only a drive or two, potentially the entire first quarter but that would be optimistic.
Ben Johnson has hinted that his starters may also play to simulate a regular-season road game routine. He mentioned this as he wanted to simulate what a home night game would look like because the Bears will have that week 1 on Monday Night Football against the Vikings. This could offer fans a final preseason glimpse of Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, and the first-team offensive line.
A key area to watch is the wide receiver competition. The Bears are still sorting out the bottom of their WR depth chart. Players like Miles Boykin, Tyler Scott, Maurice Alexander, and Jahdae Walker are competing for what may be the sixth and final WR spot. Boykin, a Chicagoland native, offers special teams value, while Alexander and Walker have made splash plays in earlier games.
Another and arguably more important area to pay attention to is the Offensive Line. Undrafted 2nd year tackle Theo Benedet has surprisingly entered the left tackle competition, taking first-team reps in practice 3. With Braxton Jones and rookie Ozzy Trapilo not locking down the spot, Benedet’s performance in this game could determine whether he earns a starting role or valuable depth status.
