Chicago, Ill. (WGR 550) - The final preseason game is in the books for the Buffalo Bills, and it resulted in a 24-21 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
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Here are my Arrows Up and Down following the preseason win:
ARROW UP
Starting offense
Exactly what the doctor ordered after last week.
One drive, 12 plays, 72 yards, 3-for-3 on third down, six first downs, and a touchdown from running back Damien Harris.
Starting defense
Two three-and-outs by the Bears' offensive starters to begin the game, two total yards, two punts.
CB - Christian Benford
Benford got a long look with the starters and played really well, including breaking up a key third down pass on the first drive.
CB - Ja'Marcus Ingram
The University at Buffalo product had the Bills' only interception on top of a pass breakup and three total tackles.
DB - Cam Lewis
Another former UB Bulls defensive back, Lewis played tough and physical, leading the team with five total tackles.
CB - Siran Neal
Neal was making plays everywhere in every way, leading the team with two pass breakups, both coming in the end zone to prevent touchdowns. He also had two tackles.
DE - A.J. Epenesa
Epenesa filled the stat sheet with two tackles for loss, including a sack, and added a quarterback hurry.
RB - Darrynton Evans
Evans was superb in his limited time, running nine times for 65 yards for a whopping 7.2-yard average. He had the run of the preseason for a 35-yard touchdown.
RB/KR - Ty Johnson
Johnson ran 11 times for 51 yards, and added a nice 30-yard kick return. Not bad for a guy just added to the roster this week.
OT - Ryan Van Demark
Van Demark had mostly been playing left tackle this training camp and preseason. He played on the right side in this game and did an excellent job in protection.
TE - Quintin Morris
Morris made a nice catch on a perfectly thrown ball by Kyle Allen for a 29-yard touchdown reception. He’s had a very solid camp and preseason.
DE - Kingsley Jonathan
Jonathan continues to make a push for a roster spot with another solid performance. He collected two total tackles, including one for a loss.
Penalties
After 13 penalties last week and 21 over the first two preseason games, the Bills were only called for two fouls the entire afternoon.
Assistant coach John Butler
Head coach Sean McDermott said Butler called defensive plays in this game. The Bears had 259 total yards of offense and only 4.4 yards per-play.
ARROW DOWN:
QB - Kyle Allen
Allen had some nice moments, but overall was too inconsistent. He finished the game going 18-of-34 (52.9%) for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception on a pass that he should have never thrown.
Connection to Gabe Davis
For whatever reason, the quarterback-to-Gabe Davis connection wasn’t working so well. Out of four targets, there was only one completion. The others were a drop, a pass breakup, and a horrible decision to throw that became an interception.
Dropped passes
Both Kyle and Josh Allen weren’t helped by several dropped passes, including one by Davis on the first play of the game. Later in the game, Jace Sternberger, Justin Shorter, and Tyrell Shavers also had dropped passes.
WR - Justin Shorter
Shorter had a few chances to make plays but didn't. He caught one pass on five targets.
TE - Jace Sternberger
Sternberger had a ball in his hands he didn’t come down with that would have converted a 3rd-and-7 deep in Bears territory. Instead, the Bills were forced to try a field goal and Tyler Bass missed it.
WR - Tyrell Shavers
Shavers didn’t catch a pass (targeted once), but was also responsible for blocking a defender that ultimately blocked a Bills punt. He got beat pretty badly on the play.
Tyrel Dodson and A.J. Klein in coverage
Dodson was caught out of position or chasing the play more than once on passes. Klein just couldn’t get to his spot quick enough on a couple others.
Special teams/blocked punt
Bills special teams overall had a rough day, including a fumble on a punt return, a 56-yard kickoff return, a missed field goal, and a blocked punt.
It was the second time in two weeks a defender got a hand on a punt.
Third quarter offense
The Bills came out of the locker room and couldn’t move the ball at all on offense. Two possessions, just two total yards
Screen passes allowed
The Bears threw a bunch of screen passes, and many were far too successful against the Bills defense.
WR - Andy Isabella
Isabella had another terrific opportunity to get closer to earning a roster spot, but he didn’t help himself with a fumble of a punt return and only two catches for two yards.
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