The Bears didn’t just beat the Bills. They embarrassed them. A 38-0 preseason win isn’t supposed to mean much on paper, but anyone who watched Saturday night saw something different: a team with swagger, direction, and young talent that actually looks ready to matter this fall.
Sure, it’s preseason. Sure, Josh Allen played about as much football as a guy at a charity golf outing. But you can’t fake execution. You can’t fake energy. And the Bears had both in droves.
Here are the five biggest winners from Chicago’s demolition of Buffalo.
1. Caleb Williams Finally Looked Like The Guy
It wasn’t perfect — this wasn’t Patrick Mahomes teleporting to Soldier Field — but it was the first time we saw why the Bears blew everything up to build around Caleb Williams.
The kid opened the game with a 7-play, 92-yard clinic, finishing it with a 36-yard laser to Olamide Zaccheaus that reminded everyone he didn’t come to the NFL to dink and dunk.
Stat check:
- 6-of-10 passing
- 107 yards
- 1 TD
- 130.1 passer rating
That’s not “oh, nice preseason reps.” That’s a franchise QB running Ben Johnson’s offense like he’s been doing it for years. He looked faster in his reads, sharper in his footwork, and finally showed chemistry with Cole Kmet and rookie TE Colston Loveland.
Winner label: Williams needed a clean, decisive outing after his rookie year wobbled between “flashes” and “what the hell was that?” Saturday night gave Bears fans something they’ve been starving for: hope that the offense isn’t just theoretical hype, but actually functional.
2. Austin Booker Keeps Making Noise
Austin Booker is playing like he hates quarterbacks personally.
The previous 5th-rounder-turned-preseason-darling added 1.5 sacks and multiple pressures in just a handful of snaps. Through six quarters of preseason football, he’s leading the damn league with 4.5 sacks. That’s not “good for a 2nd year guy.” That’s “what the hell did we just find in the late rounds?”
His spin move cooked Buffalo’s right tackle. His speed rush left a guard looking like he was stuck in the mud. Booker even flashed raw power by walking a lineman straight back into the QB’s lap.
Now, yes — he did limp off with a knee injury, and Bears fans had a collective heart attack. But assuming it’s nothing serious, the Bears might have found the perfect tag-team partner for Montez Sweat.
Winner label: Booker’s not just a flash in camp — he’s a rotational piece who could force his way onto the field this fall.
3. Tyson Bagent: QB2, Case Closed
The QB2 “competition” is over. Tyson Bagent ended it.
The kid looked like a seasoned vet, leading three touchdown drives in the second quarter alone, bombing Buffalo’s second-team defense for 197 yards and a touchdown.
Stat check:
- 13-of-22 passing
- 197 yards
- 1 TD
The highlight? An 11-yard corner route dime to Tyler Scott that split coverage perfectly. But what mattered more was how he ran the offense. No panic. No wasted timeouts. Just smooth progression reads and steady pocket movement.
Winner label: This is the type of backup QB play that actually wins you games in November when your starter tweaks a hamstring. Bagent isn’t just “holding the clipboard guy.” He’s insurance, and damn good insurance at that.
4. Luther Burden III Shows He’s NFL-Ready
Rookie wideout Luther Burden III didn’t need a 100-yard night to pop. What he did instead was far more important: prove he’s ready for real snaps in Ben Johnson’s system.
- 3 catches, 49 yards
- A 22-yard burst off play-action
- Plus, the dirty work: two key touchdown blocks
Read that again: two touchdown blocks.
Coaches love to say, “no block, no rock.” Burden lived that mantra Saturday night. He sprung Brittain Brown on the edge for a goal-line TD and later sealed off a lane for undrafted RB Ian Wheeler’s score.
That’s how rookies earn trust fast. Flash some YAC juice, throw your body around in the run game, and prove you’re more than a highlight reel.
Winner label: Burden’s role is only going to grow. He looks like the perfect do-it-all piece in an offense that values versatility.
5. Ian Wheeler—The Preseason Folk Hero
Every preseason has “that guy.” The undrafted kid who makes fans fall in love. This year, meet Ian Wheeler.
With the RB room banged up, Wheeler seized the spotlight:
- 19 carries, 80 yards, 2 TDs
- Multiple short-yardage conversions
- A 10-yard TD run where he refused to go down
Add in a couple of catches and some clock-chewing runs, and suddenly Wheeler’s gone from camp body to “wait, is he making this roster?”
What separates him from most preseason heroes is his style. He runs with vision, patience, and finish — traits you actually need when the real bullets start flying.
Winner label: Wheeler just forced himself into the roster conversation. At worst, he’s practice squad gold. At best, he’s a real rotational back this fall.
Notable Mentions
- Brittain Brown (RB): 16 carries, 73 yards, and a bulldozing goal-line TD. He runs angry, and that’s a good thing.
- Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): The 36-yard TD catch from Williams was electric. His chemistry with the young QB is already brewing.
Final Verdict
The Bears didn’t just look competent Saturday — they looked dangerous. And that’s new territory.
Caleb Williams played like a QB1. Austin Booker played like a pass-rush cheat code. Tyson Bagent made the QB2 spot a wrap. Luther Burden III blocked like a tight end and flashed like a WR1. Ian Wheeler put himself on the NFL map.
The Bears just beat the Bills 38-0 in a preseason game, and somehow it still mattered. Not because of the score, but because of the message: this team’s young core is legit, Ben Johnson’s offense has juice, and Chicago might finally — finally — be done pretending.
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