Just as quickly as it started, the 2023 NFL preseason has come to a close for the Chicago Bears. They wrapped up their finale against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field but fell 24-21 to finish the preseason 1-2, their first losing record in August since 2019.
Saturday’s game had a bit more juice to it, however, as both teams played their starters on offense and defense to begin the game. Bears quarterback Justin Fields struggled out of the gate while Bills quarterback Josh Allen drove his team downfield on their first drive to put seven points on the board. Backup quarterback Kyle Allen also orchestrated multiple scoring drives on the Bears backup defense.
On offense, Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagenet once again used his legs to find the endzone, and Cairo Santos netted a pair of field goals throughout the day. The Bears clawed their way back to keep things close thanks to a touchdown pass from P.J. Walker later in the game, but never held a lead the entire day.
With the preseason now in the books, it’s about time to turn our focus to the regular season, but there were still things to take away from the final dress rehearsal. Here are our takeaways from Saturday’s preseason loss.