ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. —
Here are my five thoughts on the Buffalo Bills’ preseason finale against the Chicago Bears on Saturday at Soldier Field:
1. Sean McDermott raises more questions than he answers with his surprise decision to play starters in the final game of the preseason.
First, there’s his acceptance of the obvious inequity between risk and reward. It isn’t even close. There’s absolutely nothing to be gained from having Josh Allen play a second preseason game rather than following the normal script of keeping him and other first-stringers on the sidelines for the final outing of the summer. There’s everything to lose. A serious injury to Allen in a game that doesn’t count could effectively end the Bills’ season and haunt McDermott for a long time.
Then, there’s McDermott’s explanation for putting his starters on the field against the Bears: “It’s just what I feel like is best for the team right now. Every preseason is a little bit different, based on where guys are and where the team is, so they’re going to play this week.”
What he feels is “best” for the team? As poorly as the starters and the entire team performed last Saturday at Pittsburgh, that can’t be the only reason McDermott thinks they’ll benefit from more preseason work. Sloppy showings in preseason games with vanilla scheming aren’t necessarily an indicator of a lack of readiness for the real thing, just as smooth performances aren’t necessarily an indicator of being ready for the regular season. McDermott knows that, so he apparently sees signs in practice that are making him uncomfortable. The coach’s “based on where guys are and where the team is” comment acknowledges as much.
McDermott also knows that a series or two on Saturday isn’t going to fix whatever might be broken with his starters. Those repairs, if they can be made, happen on the practice field.
2. The offensive line has issues. And they could get worse.
The play of right tackle Spencer Brown, who looked as if he had never seen a speed rusher against Pittsburgh, is legitimate cause for panic. He was struggling in 2022. He so far has shown he can’t find his groove entering his make-or-make NFL season. But the Bills have no alternative, so Brown has to deliver.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins, who also had speed-rushing nightmares last Saturday, needs to step up to the level of one of the highest-paid players at his position. He, too, is a question mark.
If the knee injury to new left guard Connor McGovern lingers, that will put a significant dent in an area the Bills were presumed to have made a significant upgrade.
3. The uncertainty over who will start at middle linebacker is a problem.
McDermott has made it clear he doesn’t feel good about anything he has seen at the position through training camp and the preseason to date.
It doesn’t help that Terrel Bernard, the man McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane want to fill the spot, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. But the bigger problem is that neither Bernard, nor Tyrel Dodson nor A.J. Klein on the depth chart has apparently made a persuasive case to start.
That is compounded by the fact McDermott is the Bills’ new defensive coordinator and calling all the defensive signals for the first time since arriving in Buffalo in 2017. His headset-to-helmet communication with the middle linebacker is a vital part of McDermott’s DC duties, and no disconnect can be tolerated. The middle linebacker isn’t merely relaying the calls to the rest of the defense, but he’s also making all the adjustments dictated by the offense’s pre-snap movement.
4. Where’s the discipline?
Even by preseason standards, it’s hard to explain away the 13 penalties the Bills had against the Steelers. Twelve came in the first half. The first half? That, alone, would be a disturbing total for the game.
Again, McDermott’s decision to play his starters Saturday doesn’t compute because of the disproportionate risk-reward ratio. He could argue the penalties were enough reason to play his front-liners, yet that, too, is something best left for practice.
If that is where the Bills are falling short, then they’d better straighten it out in a hurry.
5. Backup quarterback remains a problem that isn’t likely to be solved any time soon.
That the Bills have no one close in talent to their franchise starter hardly separates them from other clubs with elite QBs. Still, it is another reason for discomfort after this mostly discomforting offseason and preseason.
Without Allen, the Bills have zero chance of contending. Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley are, at best, one-game solutions. And that’s only if the defense and special teams are at their very best.
Once, again, why play with potential fire by having Allen on the field Saturday?