The Chicago Bears defeated the Buffalo Bills 33-6 in their second preseason game on Saturday. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams made his debut and other outstanding players also made a strong statement.
Pro Football Focus has assigned the player ratings of those who handled the ball in Chicago’s win over Buffalo. We broke them down by offense and defense, analyzing the three highest and lowest rated players on each side, as well as a few other notable players.
There were a few surprises — and then a few less — in terms of the highest and lowest-rated players on both offense and defense. Here’s a look:
Top 3 Attack
- C Doug Kramer – 91.5
- RB Ian Wheeler – 90.7
- LG Teven Jenkins – 90.3
Kramer played center 17 times and received high marks for run blocking (91.9) and pass blocking (77.0). Wheeler was responsible for two of Chicago’s four touchdowns and scored five runs for 43 yards (8.6 yards per run), earning him a running grade of 86.8. Jenkins played left guard 20 times in the starting offense and received high marks for run blocking (85.8) and pass blocking (82.1).
Attack of the lower 3
- RT Darnell Wright – 45.0
- C Jerome Carvin – 47,0
- TE Gerald Everett/RB Khalil Herbert – 47.5
Wright was the lowest-rated offensive player, earning disappointing pass blocking (60.2) and run blocking (51.9) grades in his 20 snaps as right tackle. Carvin filled in for 36 snaps as the reserve center, where he excelled in pass protection (73.3) but struggled in run blocking (59.3). Herbert had nine carries for 31 yards, an average of 3.4 yards per carry, and earned a run grade of 49.5. Everett had no receptions or targets in the game, earning a passing grade of 51.8 and a run blocking grade of 50.6.
Top 3 Defense
- LB Micah Baskerville – 97.0
- LB Amen Ogbongbemiga – 89.1
- S Quindell Johnson – 86.6
Baskerville posted a sensational 97.0 grade, by far the best player. He totaled two tackles and scored a touchdown after an interception that put the game out of reach, earning him a coverage grade of 94.4. Ogbongbemiga led both teams with eight total tackles and a sack, earning an impressive 89.1 grade. This included strong grades in coverage (79.0) and pass rush (76.9). Johnson totaled two tackles on the day and earned impressive grades in tackling (80.6), coverage (78.2) and run defense (68.5).
Defending the bottom 3
- S Kevin Byard – 29.8
- S Douglas Coleman – 34,8
- LB Tremaine Edmunds – 47.3
Byard, who totaled two tackles, was Chicago’s lowest-rated defender. He received a poor rating in coverage (31.1) but excelled in tackling (79.4). Similar to Byard, Coleman struggled in coverage (38.1) but received a good tackling rating (74.8). Edmunds, who totaled one tackle and one pass defense, received good ratings in pass rush (69.8) and run blocking (63.4) but was rated poorly in coverage (38.8).
Other celebrities
- QB Caleb Williams – 73.5
- DE Austin Booker – 79.6
- DE Daniel Hardy – 64.0
- RB Velus Jones – 57.2
Williams shined in his preseason debut, completing 4 of 7 passes for 95 yards and posting a passer rating of 101.8. He added one run for 13 yards. Two of his incomplete passes were drops, which was reflected in his passing grade of 69.3. Booker was a threat as a pass rusher, totaling 2.5 sacks and three QB hits on the afternoon, posting a pass rush grade of 77.7. Hardy had an identical performance and stat line to Booker, sacking the quarterback 2.5 times with three QB hits, earning him a pass rush grade of 74.2. Meanwhile, Jones got his first call-up as a running back, completing six runs for 34 yards and a touchdown, posting a rushing grade of 57.9.
