It’s game night, Bills Mafia! The Buffalo Bills’ final preseason game is finally here after what seems like an endless summer of practice football. If only the summer weather could stick around a few months longer up north, but then that wouldn’t be Bills Country. Right?
Don’t expect a lot in the way of game-planning and deep looks into the playbook on defense or offense. Actually, I wouldn’t count on anything of substance being revealed tonight, simply because the Bills face the Buccaneers later
this year during the regular season. There’s no need to give them something to plan for when the scoreboard counts.
At first blush, many will ask what reason there is to even watch this evening. Well, there’s a lot at stake and if you haven’t been paying attention this whole time it’s best you dive into the Rumblings archives rather than have me write out a Stephen King-length novel about the Bills’ offseason. The starters won’t play — okay, there may be a few out there if just they’ve missed time due to injury and are now healthy.
That said, keep an eye on wide receiver Curtis Samuel early this evening. If he’s not on the field, that could tell us a lot about how Buffalo will move forward with him: as in, he’ll be a Bill in 2025 (and hopefully not, instead, again injured). Quite often, teams will “showcase” a player in these final preseason games if a trade partner wants verification that he’s healthy, like Buffalo did before trading Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams.
A significant amount of injuries this summer has made for challenging player evaluations, considering how many names have come and gone since training camp began. Just this afternoon, Buffalo signed defensive back Garnett Hollis Jr. and waived/injured defensive back Wande Owens.
Tonight, above all else, the Bills need to get through the game healthy. The score doesn’t matter, it’s worth wondering if “how” the team plays is even all that important considering the constant line of moving parts at all positions in a preseason affair.
People will critique tonight’s action, and conclusions will be drawn good, bad, outlandish, or otherwise. Head coach Sean McDermott is looking for several players to show him something ahead of roster cutdown day on Tuesday, August 26. For some players, this will be the last game in a Bills uniform, and for others it will be their most meaningful shot at making the team’s 53-man roster or practice squad.
After tonight, it’s go time against the Baltimore Ravens. But first, Buffalo must take care of business in soggy Tampa Bay. It’s a night fit for marauding pirates, and an even better one to shout Hey-ey-ey-ey!
Who and what are you watching for tonight? Here’s your open thread for Buffalo’s final preseason game this summer. After this one, they begin to count. As always, be kind to one another, and in all things… Go Bills!
