Caleb Williams shines, Tyson Bagent continues to impress, and more from the Bears preseason shutout against the Bills
A fun, high-scoring performance for Chicago.
What a showing from the Chicago Bears in the second preseason game coming away with the first win of the Ben Johnson Era in a blowout affair.
From top to bottom, this Bears team came ready to play on Sunday night in route to a 38-0 thumping against the Buffalo Bills.
As good as the performance was, there’s still some things you’d like to see cleaned up going into the final week of the preseason. Let’s breakdown some of the top takeaways.
Phenomenal start by the first-team offense
You couldn’t have asked for a better start for the first-team offense led by quarterback Caleb Williams. After starting out the opening drive backed up on the 8-yard line, Williams led the unit down the field for a 92-yard, seven-play touchdown drive.
Williams was nearly flawless to start the game with the only incompletion caused by the young quarterback evading pressure and throwing it too low on the throw. The only negative play came on a holding call by center Drew Dalman.
The second drive with the first-team offense wasn’t as fruitful with the offense being forced to punt after a six-play drive that totaled 15 yards. Williams, in two drives, finished 6/10 for 107 yards and one touchdown on a catch-and-run by Olamide Zaccheaus. The only starters that did not play on offense were LG Joe Thuney and RB D’Andre Swift with Luke Newman and Deion Hankins filling in instead (it’s worth noting rookie RB Kyle Monangai was not suited up for this game).
TE duo of Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland already looks dangerous
On the first drive of the game, we finally got the debut of the Bears TE duo in Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. Loveland, the team’s first-round selection, fittingly got the first target of the game on a bootleg by Williams.
On the very next play, Williams hit Kmet up the seam for a 29-yard gain. Later in the drive, Loveland caught a crosser over the middle for another 18-yards.
It’s clear both players will be factors in the passing game and serve as reliable targets for Williams that can make some big plays after the catch.
Tyson Bagent continues to impress with poise and athleticism
Six drives, four scores for the offense led by quarterback Tyson Bagent, who’s poise in this new offensive scheme continued to impress for the second week in a row.
From an athletic standpoint, Bagent looks like a natural in this offense that’s built off play-action and bootlegs. Even operating in the pocket, Bagent made a few plays to avoid potential sacks and find his reads in a timely manner.
The final drive of the first-half was a little sloppier with two offensive penalties that prevent more points going onto the scoreboard. Bagent’s first drive of the second-half ended with points again after leading the team down into field goal range with another offensive penalty on that drive. His final drive of the game ended with a three-and-out with a drop by Joel Wilson on third-down. Regardless, Bagent looks like a really solid backup QB for this team.
Encouraging step forward for Tyler Scott
Tyler Scott, yeah remember that guy? That’s probably a question many fans at Soldier Field said while watching the former fourth-round pick in action Sunday night.
Scott was a non-factor during his second year with the Bears in 2024 and was someone who could have benefited from a new staff. However, the Bears brought in plenty of competition to the wide receiver position and his name hasn’t been mentioned as much as you’d like during training camp.
Even in the preseason opener, Scott had just one target that went for an eight yard completion. This time around, Scott was much more productive hauling in three receptions for 54 yards and this absurd touchdown from Bagent in the corner of the endzone. It’s exactly the kind of night he needed.
Luther Burden III is coming along, but more time is needed
After mainly playing with the second-team offense, second-round rookie Luther Burden III once again put some strong reps on tape including a 22-yard catch-and-run and two key goal line blocks that resulted in a rushing touchdown.
At the same time, Burden had one pre-snap penalty for an illegal shift. After missing so much time in the spring and early summer, head coach Ben Johnson mentioned multiple times how it will take time for Burden to earn his trust and catch up to speed with the starting offense, but man, the talent is there once he gets these little details tightened up.
Injury bug strikes the defensive depth
A week after being ravaged by injures, the Bears had another cornerback go down on Sunday in third-year Terell Smith. Smith suffered a non-contact knee injury and was carted off the field, hopefully it’s not as serious as it looked on the field.
On the defensive front, both backup edge rushers in Dominique Robinson and Austin Booker left the game. Robinson suffered an ankle injury while Booker was ruled out with a knee injury. Potentially a big blow to the position depending on the severity of both injuries.
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