CHICAGO (WGN) — The race continues for Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears tonight at Soldier Field.
The Bears take on the Buffalo Bills in Chicago for game No. 2 of their preseason slate. With kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT, here’s a guide on what storylines to pay attention to, and how to watch the game.
Pre-snap, post-snap and who’s getting playing time
There’s plenty of storylines to pay attention to with the Bills in town.
How many snaps will Williams get? Will the Bears add a fifth member to the competition juggling act at left tackle? Can the offense get a snap off? How does the defense perform against the reigning NFL MVP? Will Chicago’s real No. 2 cornerback please stand up?
1. Playing time for the first team offense
On Wednesday earlier this week, Johnson said, “Our starters are going to play. Everyone’s going to play,” but as for how much Williams, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and their quartet of starting linemen see the field, that is still up to their head coach’s discretion.
2. Will someone separate themselves in the race to find a starting left tackle?
Training camp started with a perceived two-man battle to decide who would start at left tackle for Chicago this season—incumbent veteran Braxton Jones, or second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo.
Since then, the undrafted Canadian Eagle—Theo Benedet—has rotated in for first team reps at left tackle, and some speculate whether Kiran Amegadjie will be the next man up with an opportunity take the top left tackle spot.
A four-person juggling act waiting for someone to assert themself above the pack at the offense’s second most important position is hardly ideal. It becomes even more concerning when one looks at the calendar and sees there is less than a month until the Bears square off with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
But Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar are content to play the waiting game in the name of seeing who really wants it out of that group of four.
“This thing’s gone on now three and a half weeks. I’ve said, and I’ll say it again, we’ll go as long as we need to go to find the right guy,” Johnson said Friday. “But, we’d like to see someone go ahead and make it clear to us that he is that guy, and we just haven’t seen that yet, as a staff. There’s been too much up and down.”
3. Pre-snap vs. post-snap procedure
False starts and illegal formation penalties were consistent themes under the previous coaching staff, and so far during training camp, they have persisted, though not completely because of Williams’ having to learn a new system.
“I would say it’s not just him. We had some procedure issues in the game the other day as well. I don’t think we’ve hit it from the beginning in terms of how much we’re loading guys down,” Johnson said Wednesday.
Chicago’s head coach said some of those hiccups are by design, but he has also been critical of himself when it comes to getting plays into Williams.
“There, there are times that I’m a little bit slow as well,” Johnson said. That’s on me. It’s all of us.”
The good news is that when the Bears have successfully executed their pre-snap procedures, the post-snap portion has been crisp.
Williams has displayed a budding rapport with Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus across camp, consistently leaning on the two wide receivers to help move the chains on offense during a variety of drills and situations during camp.
It’ll be interesting to see how this translates in a game that features a roster many expect to compete for a Super Bowl by season’s end.
4. Bears first-team defense vs. Josh Allen (maybe)
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott wasn’t committal on whether or not the 2024 NFL MVP would play against Chicago, but he said Josh Allen has earned the right to help decide whether he gets real snaps tonight.
“I’m giving him some ownership as well, which I think is important,” McDermott told the Democrat and Chronicle. “He knows by now what he needs in order to be ready.”
Allen played in one preseason series last season, also against the Bears, so the odds aren’t exactly in favor of him seeing the field. But if he does, Chicago’s defense will have a brief opportunity to measure itself against arguably the best quarterback in football.
5. Tyrique Stevenson vs. Nahshon Wright
The Bears’ defense has far fewer question marks than their counterparts on offense, but arguably their biggest is figuring out who will start opposite perennial Pro Bowl corner Jaylon Johnson.
Tyrique Stevenson spent most of his rookie season in the No. 2 corner role, but the addition of Dennis Allen disciple Nahshon Wright has sparked a competition to see who can take over the role.
One or the other could take a step toward establishing themself as Chicago’s No. 2 corner with a big performance tonight.
How to watch Bears vs. Bills
Locally, Bears fans can watch the game on Fox 32. Nationally, the game can be streamed through Sling TV, YouTube TV and Fubo.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT in Chicago at Soldier Field.