Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills hit the grass of Soldier Field this evening for a preseason tilt against the Chicago Bears. Tonight’s matchup serves as the NFL’s featured primetime game of preseason Week 2 — a scrimmage against a perennial powerhouse in Buffalo and a team many see on the rise in Chicago.
Everyone understands that preseason football isn’t the most compelling drama produced by the NFL juggernaut machine each year. That said, tonight’s game should prove to be compelling must-watch TV for several reasons. Here are few reasons to tune in, which include my riffs on a few courtesy of Cam Anzalone (tweet below)…
We don’t know yet if Mitch Trubisky gets the start, but could a more perfect opportunity await him against his former club? Some might argue that the battle for QB2 is up in the air. I see things otherwise. Though Mike White performed well backing up Trubisky in Week 1, this is Trubisky’s job to lose. Folks will point to stats and say they matter most, but it’s about the other things QB2 does that likely lands just as heavily with One Bills Drive. Plus, who can forget the summer Nathan Peterman played out of his mind?
I’m watching Trubisky’s pocket awareness this evening, and his ability to check down or expertly throw a would-be bad decision out of harm’s way. Let’s see if any bit of what once made Trubisky the second-overall pick shows up to illuminate Soldier Field this evening after giving us a bit of scrambling magic last weekend.
Curtis Samuel is the player who most-interests me this evening. If he plays, of course — heck even if he doesn’t play. Samuel is in it right now, once-again injured. He’s missed almost all of training camp, be it St. John Fisher University or back at One Bills Drive. Head coach Sean McDermott essentially put Samuel on notice, and no outside of the team is certain of his role in 2025.
Bills reporter Sal Capaccio noted that most starters were out on the field with athletic trainers, which he said is usually indicative of someone not playing. Samuel was among those players. But it could be argued that, if healthy enough, Samuel should play. If he’s still too injured to suit up, there may be bigger concerns to tackle. I see Samuel as the player with the most to lose in the next 10 days.
I take a deeper dive into Samuel’s situation Monday morning here at Buffalo Rumblings.
A phenom early, Moore has all but disappeared in recent weeks. That includes his work in Week 1 of the preseason. There’s a ton of potential with Moore, and he has a perfect opportunity to seize the moment in the face of a decimated wide receivers room.
Unlike Cam, I don’t see Moore’s roster spot hanging in the balance unless there’s a far better option...
