Sportsnaut
Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for their second preseason game this weekend against the Buffalo Bills.
The Bears were unable to earn a win over the Dolphins in preseason Week 1, with the game ending in a 24-24 tie. Wins and losses don’t matter in the preseason, but it still would be nice to get a win. As a result, many are curious as to whether or not the Bears’ starters would get to play against the Bills.
Well, head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that the starters will indeed play. The coach didn’t clarify how may snaps his top unit would get, saying that is “to be determined.”
“We like to say upstairs, ‘No one adjusts better than us,’” Johnson said. “I think our players understand that, and so what we do as coaches is we … flow, we get the numbers from sports science, whatever we need to do what’s best for the team, what’s best for each individual player, that’s how we determine that.”
It will be great for Caleb Williams to get some live snaps in front of the Soldier Field crowd this weekend, especially against a consistent playoff team like the Bills. The Bears’ offensive struggles this summer have not been a secret, so it will help to work out the kinks in a game environment before the season gets underway.
Williams is clearly the starting quarterback, but the backup signal-callers impressed in the opener. Tyson Bagent completed 13 of 19 passes for 103 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while veteran journeyman Case Keenum completed eight of ten passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
If Williams comes out and performs well against the Bills, it will alleviate many worries about the offense. It’s unlikely Johnson will want to leave Williams in for long, but it would be nice to see a couple of successful drives.
Another interesting position to watch will be the left tackle spot. Since the starters are playing, it will be interesting to see whether Braxton Jones begins as the left tackle.
The Bears and Bills will kickoff on Sunday night and then the Bears will end their preseason slate against the Chiefs on August 22.
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