The Buffalo Bills were among the best teams in football on many fronts in 2024, but specifically when it came to getting to the quarterback. However, their blowout preseason loss to the Chicago Bears is any indication, 2025 is a different beast that presents new challenges. Yes, they rested nearly all of the starters on offense and defense in what's largely a meaningless game, yet the results spoke volumes.
Bears second-year signal-caller Caleb Williams thrived in his first live action under new head coach Ben Johnson against the Bills, albeit in a small sample. Then, Chicago's backup passers, Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed, also fared well. Buffalo's reserves failed to get into the opposite backfield, foreshadowing a glaring weakness and, perhaps most notably, an overreliance on offseason free-agent acquisition Joey Bosa.
Bills' preseason loss to Bears highlights excessive dependence on Joey Bosa
Bosa was brought in to fill the rotation havoc-wreaking role that future Hall of Famer Von Miller did during much of his time in Buffalo. The Bills have little beyond him and 2021 first-round pick Gregory Rousseau on the edge. Their second, third and fourth-stringers, particularly up front, have been woefully bad through two tune-up matches.
Depth along the defensive trenches is a major question for the Bills entering what could be a franchise-altering inflection point season. They're ostensibly betting on Bosa being a difference-maker, which he can be when healthy, though that's a big "if." Nonetheless, expecting him to be available for 17 contests, let alone the 20-plus a successful playoff entails, is probably a fool's errand.
For better or worse, the Bills' fate is tethered to the productive yet oft-injured Bosa, at least to some degree. They need a formidable defensive line to make life difficult for the Patrick Mahomes', Lamar Jackson's and Joe Burrow's of the AFC. He's still a plus pass rusher and can hold his own as a run stopper. Alas, being unable to stay on the field has been a recurring issue for him, especially over the past few campaigns, which Buffalo's already experiencing.
Bills are already coming to Joey Bosa realization that Chargers fans know all too well
A calf injury sidelined Bosa for most organized team activities (OTAs). It's supposedly a thing of the past, according to him, but it also emphasizes how fragile he is. The five-time Pro Bowler appeared in 28 of 51 possible regular-season games from 2022 to last year as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Constantly nicked and bruised, it's hard to envision Bosa's body getting fresh with time. He's on the back nine of what's been a great career. Buffalo should view him as a luxury add more than a needler-mover at this point, but their roster construction leaves them no choice.