Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Bills Commanding Win In Preseason

Week 2 of the NFL preseason set up a game between the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. After eking out a win in their preseason opener against Detroit, the Bills took on the Bears, looking to gain valuable on-field time. Josh Allen once again sat out; therefore, the onus fell on the returning Mitch Trubisky on a sunny afternoon in the Windy City. Here are three takeaways from Buffalo’s ruthless 41-15 preseason victory.

AJ Epenesa And The Pass Rush Got after It

Buffalo is looking for marginal gains that may take them to a championship. After investing heavily at the top of the draft, the Bills emphasized the desire to generate a potent defensive front. The retooled unit displayed positive signs last week, and they continued that encouraging trend against the Bears. Second-year player AJ Epenesa showed a good burst and explosion as he penetrated on the outside and inside.

Rookies Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham notched their names onto the stat sheet. Rousseau got a sack and two QB hits, while Basham nailed Andy Dalton for his first sack of the preseason. Interior pressure also appeared for Buffalo as Brandin Bryant crashed into Justin Fields late in the fourth quarter. It is challenging to ascertain how much we can extrapolate from the preseason; indeed, the Bears ran out a patchwork offensive line, and they are dealing with injury problems. Nevertheless, Buffalo’s defensive line is showing plenty of versatility and potential.

Epenesa spoke glowingly about the improving unit after this game; “It just shows the depth that we have and the versatility of all our guys,” Epenesa said. “We have ends rushing from the three techniques. We have three techs rushing from the end. It just shows that the group as a whole has taken a step forward, and we’re ready to keep progressing, getting better every week.”

Brian Daboll Is A Heck Of A Playcaller

**(Nic Antaya/Getty Images / Getty Images)**

Much of the attention fell on Mitch Trubisky in this preseason game. After getting kicked out of Chicago, Trubisky returned to Soldier Field with a point to prove. Trubisky went 20/28, 221 yards, and one touchdown. The big takeaway from this performance is how good a play-caller Brian Daboll is. Daboll schemed up plenty of smart plays that provided Trubisky with simple reads and good throwing windows. Trubisky seldom looked in trouble, and Daboll coordinated an intelligent game plan to mask the quarterback’s weaknesses.

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Once the preseason finishes, Daboll gets Josh Allen back for the regular season. It is mouthwatering to fantasize what the offense could look like after another year of development for Allen. Buffalo’s starting quarterback is an other-world talent, on a par with Mahomes in the throwing velocity stakes. If Daboll can massage his offense with a solid running game and add play-action, designed rollouts, and naked bootlegs, Allen could firmly entrench himself as one of the top three quarterbacks in the game. The ease in which Trubisky dissected the Bears’ first-team defense demonstrates how good Daboll is at curating a game plan for his quarterback.

Is Isaiah Mckenzie The Man For The Slot?

*Isaiah McKenzie is pushing for the starting role in the slot*

It is easy to forget that Cole Beasley is an excellent slot receiver. After he attempted to transition to evangelism this offseason, that is understandable. Subsequently, it shone a light on Beasley’s place in the Bills starting lineup. So much so that 26-year-old Isaiah McKenzie is now firmly in play to snatch that starting slot role. After Beasley sat out yesterday against the Bears, McKenzie put his hand up as he played an excellent game.

The headline numbers were 72 yards off seven receptions. McKenzie demonstrated tremendous speed and agility between the hash marks as he was far too quick for the Bears linebackers and safety. McKenzie excelled as a check-down target for Trubisky. He became a safety valve. His ability to generate YAC should keep him in play; all offenses want players comfortable catching in traffic to gain positive yardage. Trubisky got the ball out quickly and on time to McKenzie in this preseason game. When Allen comes back, teams may cover the deep threat, opening up more space for an athlete like McKenzie to make plays.