Five takeaways from the Bears’ preseason win over Buffalo

Quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the Bears’ starters returned to game action Sunday night as they made their preseason debuts in a 38-0 win over the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson mostly got what he wanted from his starters in their first game of the preseason. Williams and the offense looked efficient while the defense got on and off the field quickly.

The Bills rested most of their starters after they competed in a joint practice with the Bears on Friday at Halas Hall.

Here are five of the biggest takeaways from Sunday night’s game.

Near perfect start for Caleb Williams

Johnson and Williams couldn’t have asked for a better start to Sunday’s game. Williams looked comfortable running the offense and was efficient with his throws and his decision making on the first drive.

He did so by finding his tight ends early. Williams completed three passes to Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland for 55 yards to move the ball from the Bears 5-yard line. The Bears eventually scored when Williams completed a short pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, who took it 36 yards for a touchdown.

Williams and the offense picked up a first down on their second drive as Johnson tried to establish the run a little bit more. But Williams couldn’t connect with Rome Odunze on a third down throw that fell incomplete and ended the starters’ night.

He completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Sunday was an encouraging step for Williams as he looks to make progress in learning Johnson’s offense. While it did come against the Bills’ backup defense, Williams knew where to put the ball and looked sharp with his throws.

Left tackle competition continues

The battle for the starting left tackle spot continued as Johnson and his staff look for someone to take the lead in the competition.

Returning starter Braxton Jones started his second straight preseason game after mostly taking second team snaps at practice this past week. He handled the spot well going against the Bills’ backups and played two drives along with the other offensive starters.

Theo Benedet earned the second team snaps at left tackle after earning more first team snaps during practice this week, including Friday’s practice against the Bills. Second-year offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie was the third Bear to take snaps at left tackle.

Rookie Ozzy Trapilo continued to work at right tackle exclusively as it might seem he’s not in the mix for the starting left tackle spot anymore. He played at right tackle with the second team.

Defense looks efficient in shutout

It only took one drive for the Bears starting defense to get what it wanted out of Sunday’s game. The group took care of business against the Bills backup quarterback Mike White and the second team offense by forcing a three-and-out.

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds broke through on the first play to stop Bills running back Ray Davis for a loss of a yard on a run. White completed a pass for two yards before back-to-back false start penalties pushed the Bills back. His pass on third down fell incomplete and the first team defense’s day was done.

It was a good showing for the group as it builds its identity under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The unit had a good showing in Friday’s joint practice against reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen.

Defensive end Austin Booker and defensive tackle Andrew Billings each had a sack while linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga forced a fumble in the third quarter. Sunday was the Bears’ first preseason shutout in 31 years.

Tyson Bagent runs the show

While all of the attention was on Williams heading into Sunday’s game, Tyson Bagent continued to show that he should be the Bears’ backup quarterback heading into the season.

Bagent and the second team offense took over on the Bears’ third drive of the season and effectively moved the ball down the field. The unit scored a touchdown on its first three drives as Bagent got the ball where it needed to be. His most impressive pass came in the second quarter when he threw a ball perfectly on the run into the corner of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Scott.

Bagent threw for 197 yards and one touchdown, completing 13 of his 22 passes.

Sunday’s performance wasn’t new for Bagent. He’s looked comfortable in Johnson’s offense for much of training camp and has shown that he knows what he needs to do on each play. That will be essential if Bagent has to go into a game for any reason.

Quarterback Case Keenum didn’t play Sunday. He missed Friday’s practice after he left practice Thursday with a leg injury. With his absence and Bagent’s strong camp, it’s likely that Bagent is in the driver’s seat for the backup quarterback spot.

Injuries pile up

While the Bears’ starters came out healthy in Sunday’s game, there were some injuries to important depth pieces.

Cornerback Terell Smith was taken off the field in the second quarter after a pass play by the Bears sideline. The team quickly announced that Smith was out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. Smith came off a good week of practices as he battled for one of the top backup cornerback slots.

Booker also suffered a knee injury on a special teams play and was ruled out for the rest of the game. He’s had a strong preseason with four sacks as he’s tried to earn more snaps as a pass rusher in his second season behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo.

Defensive end Dominique Robinson (right ankle), running back Deion Hankins (knee) and wide receiver JP Richardson (ankle) were all ruled doubtful to return to Sunday’s game.