Will Bears' tight ends have big day against Bills?

The Buffalo Bills' defense has been burned frequently by tight ends this season.

Through seven games, the Bills have allowed 5 passes for touchdowns to tight ends and surrendered 8 completions of 20 yards or more.

While the Bears have shown the ability to utilize tight end Greg Olsen at times, the tight end position has been ignored at other times.

Olsen caught 5 passes in back-to-back games in Weeks 3 and 4 but was blanked in the next two games before catching 3 passes for 43 yards against Washington just before the bye week.

“We've had our moments where we've been able to make some plays,” said Olsen, who is third on the team with 222 receiving yards and tied for fourth with 18 catches.

“Our times will come again,” Olson added. “We've said all along there's a growing process, a lot of new pieces (in the offense) and a lot of new things going on. Everyone is going to have their chance.”

Backup tight ends Brandon Manumaleuna and Desmond Clark each have just 1 catch for 5 and 12 yards, respectively while Kellen Davis has yet to make a reception.

Care Bear:

Lance Briggs said last week he would enjoy playing more games at foreign venues, but fellow linebacker Brian Urlacher doesn't agree.

“I like playing at Soldier Field,” Urlacher said. “I like playing certain places because it's a hostile environment.

I don't know how bad it'll be up there for us. But I like going certain places around here where they don't like us very much. It's more fun because the fans don't like us.”

Because a good portion of the crowd at Toronto's Rogers Centre is expected to be Bears fans, even though it's considered a home game for the Bills, it could feel like a neutral site.

Urlacher, however, still considers it a road game.

“We're not playing at Soldier Field, so it's a road game,” he said. “We have to travel, go through customs, do all that good stuff. It's a road game.”

But the exposure in a different market could help the game's global appeal.

“I don't know,” Urlacher said. “I don't worry about that.”

Asked if he didn't care about the game, Urlacher said, “I do care about the game the football game that I'm playing in. That's what I care about.”

Family affair:

Bears assistant defensive backs coach Gill Byrd is on record as saying he wants his son, Bills safety Jarius Byrd, to have the greatest game of his life Sunday in a loss.

“It's a special game,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “I continue to tell Gill there's only one first game between father and son. And, of course, Gill has to be on the winning side this week.”

Smith understands most of the Byrd family will be biased in favor of Jarius, a second-round draft pick last year who tied for the NFL lead with 9 interceptions.

“I told Gill, ‘Of course you realize which side mom and brother will be on,'” Smith said. “So we'll definitely be an underdog. But it has to be special to have a chance to coach against your son.”

Bottom line:

The Bears (4-3) have lost their last two games by 3 points each, but that doesn't change anything, according to defensive end Julius Peppers.

“We are what we are,” Peppers said. “We are what the record says. And we've got a chance to go out and improve on that (Sunday).”