In Buffalo, Bears must battle Bills, complacency

The Bears' enemy this week in Buffalo isn't just the Bills or their lunatic fans - it's complacency.

That might be a tougher foe than a 2-6 Buffalo team, but that's no disrespect to coach Sean McDermott's crew, which is more than capable of coming up with a huge effort, especially on defense.

The Vikings found that out in Week Three, when they were shocked by the Bills 27-6 - in Minnesota.

"They came to play football," Bears coach Matt Nagy said of one of this season's biggest upsets. "(And) when you play them in their place, it's very rowdy, it's very loud, the (fans) are on top of you, and they love their football. You better bring your 'A' game because, if you don't, you're in trouble. I thought that was a game where they were on the road against a good football team, and they still did that. I really respect Sean and his players for that."

It's Nagy's responsibility to make sure the Bears don't fall into the same trap, and he's been taking that task seriously all week.

"That's my job starting yesterday," Nagy said on Wednesday. "Making guys understand there's way too much parity in this league. If anyone on this team, player or coach, is doing that, they need to get out of this building and get out of this place. Don't even think about it. You can't do that. We don't think that way (as coaches), so I'm not going to let our players think that way."

The Bills' QB situation is a mess. Mistake-prone Nathan Peterman is expected to start because of injuries to rookie Josh Allen (right elbow) and 35-year-old veteran Derek Anderson (concussion).

But there's nothing wrong with the Bills' defense. They're sixth in total yards allowed, one spot ahead of the Bears. They're fifth in average gain allowed per play, five spots ahead of the Bears. The Bills are especially tough against the pass, ranking No. 6 in yards allowed and No. 3 in average yards per pass.

For the Bills, it starts up front with DTs Kyle Williams (3.5 sacks) and Star Lotulelei, DRE Jerry Hughes (4.5 sacks) and Trent Murphy (knee) or Shaq Lawson at the other end. OLB Lorenzo Alexander also has 4.5 sacks, including two vs. the Patriots. Hughes has 39.5 sacks since 2013 and has forced three fumbles this season.

"Hughes has been doing that for a long time, ever since college, and it doesn't look like he's getting any older, by any means," Nagy said. "He's wreaking havoc on the quarterback, creating fumbles, sacks, he can stress a tackle. They have a really, really good front four. And then you put those 'backers in there that mesh up well, they're aggressive. They take that green grass that we always talk about (in front of the quarterback) and shut that down."

And their front seven works well in conjunction with the secondary.

"They do a great job in all ways of simulating pressure and then playing coverage," Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. "That can weigh heavily on a quarterback - even somebody as experienced and as good as Tom Brady."

Brady and the Patriots whipped the Bills 25-6 Monday night, but it was a 12-6 game into the fourth quarter, and the New England offense scored just one touchdown.

"They're very physical in their coverage, at the line of scrimmage and maybe a little bit beyond," Helfrich said. "You saw a lot of contested balls last week on some of the quick stuff, the option-route stuff. (They force) a bunch of highly contested, very narrow-window types of throws in the red zone."

Last week Nagy stressed playing a full 60 minutes leading up to the 24-10 victory over the Jets. This week he's delivering an additional missive.

"Finishing has been a big word for us," Nagy said. "Complacency is another one, making sure we're not complacent in any way. When you win a game, the natural tendency is for people to relax a little bit. That's what I'm making sure I keep my finger on - that we don't relax."

Injury update

• OLB Khalil Mack (ankle), WR Allen Robinson (groin) and DL Bilal Nichols (knee) are questionable for Sunday. Mack and Robinson were limited at Friday's practice, while Nichols was held out. OG Kyle Long (foot) and TE Ben Braunecker (concussion), who did not practice all week, are out for Sunday. OG Eric Kush (neck) was removed from the injury report and will play.

• For the Bills, QB Josh Allen (right elbow) and DE Trent Murphy (knee) are out, and LB Tremaine Edmunds (concussion) and QB Derek Anderson (concussion) are questionable.