They say every cloud has a silver lining… I think. Someone says that, I’m pretty sure. If not, at least I just said it, so now it’s a thing. Yes, it was preseason but the 38-0 drubbing by the Chicago Bears is hard to see as anything other than a cloud for fans of the Buffalo Bills. There were some silver-lining plays though. Don’t believe? Well step right in to my All-22 highlight machine.
Opening kickoff
Gosh, our hopes so high at this moment! This season the NFL changed the kickoff rules again, giving the receiving
team an extra five yards for touchbacks. In an apparent move to increase returned kicks this game suggests the plan is going well. This kickoff is a legitimate highlight. The special teams unit was all over this and this sure looks better than letting the Bears start at the 35.
I noted that the ball rolled into the end zone. The new kickoff rules are a bit complex. If the ball hits the end zone on the landing, it’s a touchback to the 35. If it ROLLS in, it can be downed but it only comes out to the 20. The incentivizes the returner to give it a shot.
False Start
How is a false start a highlight? Well this one was funny. Games are supposed to be entertainment and this entertained me. If this were a meme I might say something like “The existence of a false start implies the existence of a true start.” This start was so false that it negates the entire concept of a binary. The falseness of this start will carry forward into future generations, and I love that for the universe.
Punts
In general the punts were good. This 52-yarder was fair caught thanks to a great combination of hang time and the hustle from the rest of the team. Hopefully we don’t see many punts in 2025, but if we do this isn’t a bad mold.
Challenge Flag
Sean McDermott does not have a stellar track record with the ol’ challenge flag. So when he wins one, I’m going to celebrate. I don’t care that’s it preseason. I don’t care that the Bills lost by five scores. I don’t care that this drive was not stopped and the Bears scored a touchdown, making this challenge complete irrelevant.
Celebrate the little wins when they happen!
