5 things to watch in Bears-Bills Week 1 preseason game

With a nice win over the Houston Texans in the 2024 Hall of Fame game, the Chicago Bears are ready to move on to the official first week of preseason games. Up first, the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. And, much to the delight of Bears fans everywhere, head coach Matt Eberflus has confirmed that Caleb Williams will play.

#Bears No. 1 overall pick QB Caleb Williams will make his NFL debut on Saturday vs. the Buffalo Bills. pic.twitter.com/7rJYJxdlFj

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 8, 2024

What should Bears fans look for in this first preseason action with starters? Here are five storylines to follow.

Caleb Williams’ NFL debut

I debated including this on my list. For one thing, it’s a painfully obvious situation to monitor. Despite all the hype, it’s also pointless. If you watched CJ Stroud’s preseason debut last season, you would have thought the Texans would end up competing for the first overall pick in 2024. It was awful.

Yet Stroud went on to post one of the best rookie seasons ever. The Texans won the AFC South and a playoff game. So feel free to watch Williams’ preseason debut and endlessly analyze every snap he takes. It’s a fun exercise but also meaningless in the big picture.

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Mitch Trubisky revenge game 2.0

I know it’s a preseason game, and which team wins doesn’t matter, but I think Buffalo’s backup quarterback would enjoy doing his part to beat his former team this weekend. He’s done it already when the Bills and Bears faced off in the 2021 preseason. Trubisky went 20 for 28 for 221 yards and a touchdown while beating Chicago 41-15.

Again, no one truly cares who wins preseason games, but I believe Trubisky relished that performance and would love to do it again. Watch for him to come out guns blazing, especially since the Bears enter this season with real expectations.

Will the offensive line hold up?

For the past week, there’s been nothing but bad news regarding the offensive line, mostly due to injuries. Four potential starters on the line have been in and out of practice, with starting right guard (for now) Nate Davis being declared “week-to-week

AP

Will Brett Rypien make another push for the QB2 spot?

At the Hall of Fame game last week, Rypien put on a show along with receiver Collin Johnson. It’s still too early to say he’s within range of overtaking Tyson Bagent as the backup quarterback. The fact that Bagent only played one series in that game proves he’s still firmly entrenched and has the trust of his coaches.

However, if Rypien can put together another impressive performance, he might force the coaches to consider the QB2 role up for grabs.

Did the defense really make a leap after acquiring Montez Sweat?

A lot of noise was made about Chicago’s defense in the second half of the 2023 season. From the trade deadline forward, they ended the year as one of the very best in the league. However, context is important. During that stretch, they faced many backup quarterbacks or generally underwhelming offenses.

How much of that leap was real, and how much was due to the low quality of competition? We’ll get a couple of clues on Saturday. Neither the Bills nor the Bears will run much of a game plan, but if the defense can force Josh Allen off the field quickly, that would be a good first step to proving that they are legit.