Buffalo Bills vs Chicago Bears Match Player Stats: Caleb Williams Leads Bears to a 38-0 Rout

Preseason football rarely tells you much — until a scoreline like 38-0 forces you to look closer. Buffalo’s backups couldn’t find rhythm on either side of the ball, while Chicago’s rotation of quarterbacks carved up the Bills defense from the opening snap. Breaking down the buffalo bills vs chicago bears match player stats shows exactly how a depth-chart mismatch turned into a laugher, and which individual performances actually mean something heading into the regular season.

1. The Lead

The Chicago Bears hosted the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, August 17, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, for Preseason Week 2. Kickoff was set for 8 p.m. ET, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson made the notable decision to play quarterback Caleb Williams and most of Chicago’s starters, while Bills coach Sean McDermott held reigning MVP Josh Allen and the rest of Buffalo’s first-team players out entirely. That personnel gap showed up on the scoreboard fast — Chicago led 7-0 before the Bills ran a single successful offensive play, and the margin only grew from there.

By the final whistle, the Bears had put up 38 unanswered points, powered by an efficient first-half passing attack and a physical, clock-eating ground game late. Buffalo’s offense, run through backup quarterbacks Mike White and Mitchell Trubisky, never found a consistent rhythm, managing just a handful of long drives and no points across four quarters.

The result pushed the Bears to 1-0-1 in preseason play and dropped the Bills to 0-2, though for both franchises the game mattered far more for roster evaluation than for the record book.

2. Match Overview Table

3. Core Match Statistics Overview

Full team-level box score totals from a backup-heavy preseason game aren’t always published in complete form, but the confirmed individual and drive-by-drive numbers from the official game recap paint a clear picture of just how one-sided this Buffalo Bills vs Chicago Bears matchup really was.

Quarterback Efficiency

• Caleb Williams’ 130.0 passer rating on just 10 attempts was the headline number in the Chicago Bears player stats sheet, and it came on a single scoring drive that took under three minutes off the clock.
• Buffalo’s tandem of Mike White and Mitchell Trubisky combined for 11 completions on 24 attempts and 110 total passing yards, never generating the explosive plays Chicago’s passers found early.

Ball Movement and Explosive Plays

• Chicago strung together methodical touchdown drives of 14 plays/86 yards, 12 plays, and an 84-yard march, showing more discipline than pure big-play football.
• Buffalo’s issue wasn’t just yardage — it was sustaining drives. Three separate three-and-outs kept Chicago’s offense fresh and its field position advantage intact all night.

Fourth-Quarter Physicality

• With backups on backups by the fourth quarter, Ian Wheeler’s short-yardage touchdown run capped a 14-play, 86-yard Bears drive that chewed clock and buried the game.
• The Bills’ longest sustained drive of the night — eight plays in the third quarter — still ended in a turnover on downs, underlining a night-long inability to finish.

4. Period-by-Period Analysis

First Quarter

• Caleb Williams opened the game with a sharp 29-yard connection to tight end Cole Kmet, immediately putting Buffalo’s defense on its heels.
• A 36-yard touchdown strike to Olamide Zaccheaus capped the opening drive and set the tone before Buffalo’s offense had even taken the field.
• The Bills’ first two possessions ended in punts, including a failed conversion on 3rd & 19 after back-to-back false starts.

Second Quarter

• Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent took over and immediately extended the lead, hitting Tyler Scott for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
• A 12-play, 86-yard drive finished with Ian Wheeler’s 1-yard touchdown plunge, pushing the margin to 28-0 before halftime.
• Buffalo missed a 56-yard field goal attempt as the half expired, a fitting symbol of a scoreless opening 30 minutes.

Third Quarter

• Mitchell Trubisky replaced White at quarterback and briefly sparked the offense, helped by a 12-yard Frank Gore run and a 13-yard reception.
• Buffalo strung together its longest drive of the game (eight plays) but stalled on a turnover on downs, wasting the momentum.
• Cairo Santos connected on a 40-yard field goal for Chicago, pushing the score to 31-0 and effectively ending any suspense.

Fourth Quarter

• With reserves on the field for both sides, Chicago put together one more scoring drive — 14 plays, 86 yards — finished off by Ian Wheeler’s second rushing touchdown of the night.
• A Frank Gore fumble near Chicago’s 21-yard line snuffed out Buffalo’s best remaining scoring chance.
• Backup Austin Reed simply knelt out the final possession, closing the book on a 38-0 final.

5. Detailed Team Player Statistics

Chicago Bears Player Statistics

Williams needed only 10 attempts to post the best passer rating of the night, immediately validating Chicago’s decision to get him extended preseason reps. Bagent, working almost exclusively with the second unit, was arguably the most productive passer on the field, orchestrating two full touchdown drives against Buffalo’s backups.

Wheeler’s two short-yardage touchdowns made him the offensive workhorse late, finishing physical drives that wore down a tiring Bills front seven. Scott’s touchdown grab, combined with a 35-yard connection with Bagent, made him Chicago’s most impactful pass-catcher of the evening.

Buffalo Bills Player Statistics

Gore was the lone bright spot in the Bills’ offensive stat line, leading the team in both rushing and receiving yardage while showing the versatility that earned him a roster look. Trubisky’s second-half stint was modestly more efficient than White’s first-half work, but neither quarterback moved the offense into scoring position.

On defense, Hancock and Strong paced Buffalo in tackles before Hancock exited in the third quarter with a shoulder injury, thinning an already outmatched unit even further down the stretch.

6. Statistical Leaders Summary Table

7. Analytical Breakdowns

Why the Bears Won

Efficient First-Half Passing Attack

Chicago’s passers combined for a team passer rating of 112.0 across the first half, a number that reflects how cleanly Williams and Bagent operated against Buffalo’s second- and third-team secondary.

Sustained, Multi-Play Drives

• Chicago’s touchdown drives of 14, 12, and multiple plays each showed an offense controlling tempo, not just hitting home runs.
• That drive-sustaining ability kept Buffalo’s defense on the field and its offense cold on the sideline.

A Deep Quarterback Room

• Three different Bears quarterbacks — Williams, Bagent, and Reed — all found completions and moved the ball, showing organizational depth Buffalo simply didn’t match.
• That depth meant Chicago never had to lean on one passer to carry the entire night.

Why the Bills Lost

Stalled Drives and Repeated Punts

Buffalo punted six times and was unable to convert on several third-and-long situations, including an early 3rd & 19 that doomed the opening possession.

Heavy Dependence on One Skill Player

• Frank Gore accounted for Buffalo’s leading rushing and receiving totals in the same game — a sign the offense had no secondary playmaker step up.
• When Gore fumbled near midfield in the fourth quarter, it symbolized the broader inability to finish drives all night.

Defensive Attrition

• Losing Jordan Hancock to a shoulder injury in the third quarter removed one of Buffalo’s two leading tacklers from an already stretched unit.
• Backup defenders were repeatedly exposed on Chicago’s chunk passing plays, including gains of 29, 35, and 36 yards.

8. Historical Context & Advanced Insights

Season Series Breakdown

Buffalo and Chicago don’t play regularly given they sit in different conferences, so this preseason exhibition — held as part of a joint-practice week between the two clubs — served as the season’s lone meeting between the franchises.

Advanced Statistical Insights

Caleb Williams’ 130.0 rating on 10 attempts is a small sample, but the underlying indicator worth tracking is completion efficiency relative to depth of target — his two big plays (a 29-yard connection to Cole Kmet and a 36-yard touchdown to Zaccheaus) came on early-down shots rather than checkdowns, suggesting a quarterback trusting his arm in Ben Johnson’s new scheme. On the other side, Buffalo’s passing efficiency numbers (a combined 45.8% completion rate between White and Trubisky) reflect an offense still finding chemistry with backup-level pass catchers, a normal but notable growing pain this deep on the depth chart.

9. Game Implications & Key Lessons

What This Means for the Bears

• Caleb Williams’ clean outing gives Ben Johnson’s coaching staff early confidence in the new offensive install heading into the regular season.
• Depth at quarterback behind Williams looks like a genuine roster strength, not a question mark.

What This Means for the Bills

• Buffalo’s backup skill-position talent, outside of Frank Gore, needs to separate itself before final roster cuts.
• The defensive depth chart took a real hit with Jordan Hancock’s injury, an area to monitor through the rest of camp.

Key Lessons

• Preseason passer ratings can be misleading in small samples, but drive-sustaining ability is a reliable signal regardless of who’s on the field.
• A team with multiple functional quarterbacks has a real schematic advantage in exhibition football.
• Explosive pass plays matter less than the ability to consistently convert third downs.
• Injuries to key depth pieces can compound quickly once a game gets out of hand.
• A single dominant skill player isn’t enough to carry an entire offensive unit.
• Special teams miscues, like a missed 56-yard field goal, still swing field position even in preseason.

10. SEO FAQ & Conclusion

Who won the Buffalo Bills vs Chicago Bears game?

The Chicago Bears won 38-0 over the Buffalo Bills on August 17, 2025, at Soldier Field.

What were Caleb Williams’ stats in the game?

Williams completed 6 of 10 passes for 107 yards and 1 touchdown, posting a 130.0 passer rating.

Who was Buffalo’s leading rusher and receiver?

Frank Gore led the Bills in both categories, rushing for 50 yards on 8 carries and catching 4 passes for 31 yards.

Did Josh Allen play in this game?

No. Bills coach Sean McDermott held Josh Allen and the rest of Buffalo’s starters out of the contest entirely.

How many touchdowns did Ian Wheeler score?

Wheeler scored two rushing touchdowns for the Bears, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth.

Was this a regular-season or preseason game?

This was a 2025 NFL preseason Week 2 matchup and did not count toward regular-season standings.

Conclusion

The final buffalo bills vs chicago bears match player stats tell a simple story: Chicago’s offense, backed by multiple capable quarterbacks and a drive-sustaining approach, dismantled a Buffalo unit that never found rhythm and leaned too hard on one player to produce. 

Efficiency and depth beat isolated flashes of talent — and for both franchises, that’s a far more useful preseason takeaway than the 38-point margin itself.