Josh Allen wasn’t Superman and he didn’t need to be, plus other key takeaways from the Bills-Bears joint practice
The biggest takeaways after Bills joint practice with the Chicago Bears.
The Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears participated in a joint practice ahead of their upcoming preseason matchup. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly with some takeaways from the action-packed practice.
Josh Allen struggled early, and that’s fine
The Bears’ defense made things difficult for Allen as the QB struggled early. Allen wasn’t Superman, and didn’t have to be. The MVP was by no means perfect as he tested the defense, resulting in multiple interceptions during the 7-on-7 period. Two of them came from tipped passes at the line, and another when he forced a ball in a tight window.
If you’re at all panicking about Josh Allen’s performance, hop on YouTube and watch his highlights from last year, or the year before, or the year before. Everything will be okay.
Despite a slow start, both Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman made their presence felt against the Bears’ defense. The play of the day was a beauty of a pass from Allen to Coleman, who burned his defender at the line for a monster gain.
Kincaid, as has been the case during camp, was also turning heads. Allen looked to him early and often during the practice as the ascending tight end looks to make a bigger impact in Year 3.
Getting Allen acclimated with his new weapons was a big talking point, especially surrounding wide receivers Elijah Moore and Josh Palmer. Moore and Allen connected on a handful of completions as they continue to work on their chemistry and timing. For the newly acquired Palmer, his speed was on full display, something that the team is desperately trying to add to the offense.
And of course, James Cook. After inking a massive new contract extension with more than enough drama for our blood, he let his play do the talking and was impressive throughout the practice. Cook was cooking, and it was nice seeing him back contributing on the football field, even if it was just a practice.
Our takeaway: Both Coleman and Kincaid look ready to take an important step this season as Allen continues to build chemistry with the new acquisitions. Having Samuel back at practice was a nice added bonus, and Allen is going to be more than fine. Having Cook back was really nice.
The entire defensive line, take a bow
Joey Bosa continued where he left off in the first preseason game. He was disruptive and all over the field, resulting in multiple would-be sacks. The veteran pass-rusher was brought in to Buffalo to get after the quarterback and help bolster a rising defensive unit, and he’s doing a great job thus far.
Outside of Bosa, TJ Sanders continued to make a name for himself during the practice. Sanders found himself working with the ones next to Ed Oliver, a huge boost for the rookie and his confidence.
It wasn’t only Walker and Sanders, though. Rookie Landon Jackson was making life difficult for quarterback Caleb Williams, a welcome sign after a quiet camp and preseason from the third-round pick.
During a red-zone portion of the practice, Buffalo’s defensive front all but completely shut down the Bears.
Our takeaway: The entire defensive line looked hungry and ready to go to war. Buffalo invested heavily both in free agency and the draft to bolster the unit, and the fanbase has to be pleased with the production they’re seeing from virtually everyone.
It all comes down to special teams
As the team assembles its 53-man roster, McDermott has made it clear that for some of these guys to make the cut, they’re going to need to step up on special teams. What a day it was for Ja’Marcus Ingram, Brandon Coddrington, and Tyrell Shavers.
Ingram began the fun, locking up a gunner during a punt return and refusing to let go. This was the only “fight” of practice, but the two parties were quickly separated. Coddrington nearly took one back for a touchdown, and then Shavers followed it up with a monster play and a literal flex to the fans.
That’s not to say that Ingram and Coddrington weren’t without their faults. The pair made some costly mistakes on back-to-back plays that saw their stock drop because of it.
Shavers made waves during the team’s first preseason game with some big catches and even a special teams tackle to boot. Now, he’s furthering his case to make the team after a huge play during a punt drill that resulted in the sideline erupting and Shavers flexing to the crowd.
Our takeaway: If Shavers can stay healthy and continue his trajectory, he’ll be a lock to make the roster. It’s going to be a hard time for Leviska Shenault to crack the lineup, and those key mistakes from Coddrington and Ingram are sure to make life a little more difficult moving forward.
Final thoughts
It was a fun day for football with more positive than negative, and the team came out of it relatively unscathed. 10/10.
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