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Primetime
The Buffalo Bills travel to Chicago this Sunday to face off against the Chicago Bears in a Sunday night primetime preseason game at 8 pm EST. Bills HC Sean McDermott looks to see what his young defense is capable of when they face new Bears HC and offensive genius Ben Johnson. With the Bears making significant improvements for the 2nd straight season, it signifies the importance of contending sooner rather than later, radiating through the front office.
Matchups To Watch
Rome Odunze is heading into his 2nd year, 1st with HC Ben Johnson, who will get the absolute most out of Odunze’s talent. Odunze will be opposite of Maxwell Hairston/Tre’Davious White, depending on who plays, but either way, this is great news for Bills fans. While Hairston didn’t play week 1, if he plays week 2, we can get a fair idea of how capable he is as a starter if he contains Odunze. On the other hand, if White starts, we can get a good idea of whether White can still be “the guy” or if his days truly are numbered.
In The Trenches
The Chicago Bears’ front office made one thing clear this offseason. Protect Caleb Williams at all costs. They’ve added former Saints C Drew Dalman via free agency. They’ve also acquired G Joe Thuney from the Chiefs and G Jonah Jackson from the Rams via trades. So the new-look Chicago Bears offensive line is looking to be a top 10 unit this season.
What does that mean for Buffalo? Well, assuming both teams run their starters out for a couple of drives, we can truly see how dominant the Bills’ new-look defensive line will be. A healthy Joey Bosa is a dominant Joey Bosa, as we saw last week versus the New York Giants. Bosa was disruptive on the opening drive against one of the league’s best tackles in Andrew Thomas. It’s going to be fun to see what he can do against this offensive line in limited time on Sunday.
Fantasy Football Players To Watch
On the Chicago Bears side of things, RB Kyle Monangai’s role is in question as many believe Ben Johnson may look to move on from D’Andre Swift, most notably due to Swift being traded from the Lions when Johnson was the OC. If Monangai shines, he may be in line for a big role this season.
Shifting focus to the visiting Bills, Keon Coleman has been exhilarating to watch throughout camp this season and looks to have a breakout year. With Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson in coverage, it will be interesting to see how Coleman matches up against a quality coverage unit.
Predictions
Anything can happen in preseason, but that’s what makes it fun to watch, to see your team’s depth and young rookies shine in the first moments of their careers. The Bills’ depth will be the key to winning, as many of their backups have started in significant time throughout their careers, unlike the Bears’ young depth.
Buffalo Bills 34 – Chicago Bears 30
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