Two series were all Caleb Williams needed. The Chicago quarterback completed six of his 10 throws for 107 yards and a touchdown before handing the night to the backups, and the Bears rolled to a 38-0 preseason shutout of the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
Chicago outgained Buffalo 528 yards to 180, held the ball for better than 39 minutes and scored on six of its ten possessions. Three Bears quarterbacks combined for 357 net passing yards and two touchdowns, while Buffalo, missing Josh Allen, James Cook and most of its starters, never reached the red zone.
Table of Contents
Game Leaders
| Category | Buffalo Bills | Chicago Bears |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | Mitchell Trubisky (7/13, 55 yds) | Tyson Bagent (13/22, 196 yds, 1 TD) |
| Rushing | Frank Gore Jr. (8 car, 51 yds) | Ian Wheeler (19 car, 80 yds, 2 TD) |
| Receiving | Frank Gore Jr. (4 rec, 30 yds) | Tyler Scott (3 rec, 54 yds, 1 TD) |
| Tackles | Jordan Hancock (8, 5 solo) | Amen Ogbongbemiga (6, 5 solo) |
| Sacks | Michael Hoecht (1.0) | Austin Booker, Andrew Billings (1.0 each) |
Final Score by Quarter
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Team | Scoring Play | Score (BUF-CHI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 11:01 | CHI | Olamide Zaccheaus 36-yd pass from Caleb Williams (Cairo Santos kick) | 0-7 |
| 2nd | 13:45 | CHI | Brittain Brown 1-yd run (Santos kick) | 0-14 |
| 2nd | 9:42 | CHI | Tyler Scott 11-yd pass from Tyson Bagent (Santos kick) | 0-21 |
| 2nd | 1:50 | CHI | Ian Wheeler 1-yd run (Santos kick) | 0-28 |
| 3rd | 8:33 | CHI | Cairo Santos 40-yd field goal | 0-31 |
| 4th | 9:35 | CHI | Ian Wheeler 10-yd run (Santos kick) | 0-38 |
Team Stats
| Stat | Buffalo | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 31 |
| Passing first downs | 5 | 19 |
| Rushing first downs | 5 | 10 |
| First downs by penalty | 2 | 2 |
| Third-down efficiency | 0-8 | 9-16 |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 0-2 | 2-3 |
| Total plays | 43 | 83 |
| Total yards | 180 | 528 |
| Yards per play | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Net passing yards | 103 | 357 |
| Completions-attempts | 12-28 | 25-39 |
| Yards per pass | 3.4 | 8.9 |
| Sacks-yards lost | 2-17 | 1-12 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 171 |
| Rushing attempts | 13 | 43 |
| Yards per rush | 5.9 | 4.0 |
| Red zone (made-att) | 0-0 | 4-5 |
| Penalties-yards | 10-96 | 5-63 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 20:48 | 39:12 |
The full player-by-player box score follows.
Passing
Buffalo Bills
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACK | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Trubisky | 7/13 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 64.6 |
| Mike White | 4/11 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 2-17 | 52.8 |
| Shane Buechele | 1/4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 39.6 |
| Team | 12/28 | 103 | 0 | 0 | 2-17 | 55.7 |
Chicago Bears
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACK | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Bagent | 13/22 | 196 | 1 | 0 | 1-12 | 103.6 |
| Caleb Williams | 6/10 | 107 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 130.0 |
| Austin Reed | 6/7 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 106.0 |
| Team | 25/39 | 357 | 2 | 0 | 1-12 | 113.2 |
Team passing yards are net of yardage lost on sacks.
Rushing
Buffalo Bills
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Gore Jr. | 8 | 51 | 6.4 | 0 | 13 |
| KJ Hamler | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 15 |
| Deon Cain | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ray Davis | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 |
| Team | 13 | 77 | 5.9 | 0 | 15 |
Chicago Bears
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Wheeler | 19 | 80 | 4.2 | 2 | 12 |
| Brittain Brown | 16 | 73 | 4.6 | 1 | 14 |
| Deion Hankins | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 5 |
| Tyson Bagent | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Austin Reed | 4 | -1 | -0.3 | 0 | 3 |
| Team | 43 | 171 | 4.0 | 3 | 14 |
Receiving
Buffalo Bills
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Gore Jr. | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 | 13 | 5 |
| Tyrell Shavers | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| Kristian Wilkerson | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
| Deon Cain | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| Stephen Gosnell | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| KJ Hamler | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Elijah Moore | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Joshua Palmer | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Team | 12 | 120 | 10.0 | 0 | 25 | 27 |
Chicago Bears
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Scott | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 1 | 35 | 3 |
| Luther Burden III | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| Samori Toure | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 0 | 23 | 3 |
| Joel Wilson | 4 | 41 | 10.3 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | 1 | 36 | 36.0 | 1 | 36 | 2 |
| Cole Kmet | 1 | 29 | 29.0 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Colston Loveland | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| JP Richardson | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| Jahdae Walker | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| Maurice Alexander | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| DJ Moore | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Miles Boykin | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Team | 25 | 369 | 14.8 | 2 | 36 | 37 |
Defense
Buffalo Bills
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACK | TFL | PD | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Hancock | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Strong | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Ciarlo | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paris Shand | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Edefuan Ulofoshio | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Andreessen | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Codrington | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Hoecht | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Daequan Hardy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wande Owens | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre Herndon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Javon Solomon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Darrick Forrest | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Sanders | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Jackson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damar Hamlin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keonta Jenkins | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deone Walker | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nelson Ceaser | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja’Marcus Ingram | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zion Logue | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AJ Epenesa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 84 | 47 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Chicago Bears
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACK | TFL | PD | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amen Ogbongbemiga | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruben Hyppolite II | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Owens | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeremiah Walker | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Booker | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kaleb Hayes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terell Smith | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Billings | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Miles Boykin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Garner | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swayze Bozeman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Echols | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Williams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick McCloud | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Hardy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah Sewell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tanoh Kpassagnon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tremaine Edmunds | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamree Kromah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre Flowers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team | 44 | 26 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Amen Ogbongbemiga forced the game’s only takeaway, stripping Frank Gore Jr. after an 11-yard catch. Xavier Carlton recovered the loose ball at the Chicago 14. Neither team recorded an interception or a defensive touchdown.
Special Teams
Kicking
| Player | Team | FG | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | CHI | 1/1 | 40 | 5/5 | 8 |
| Caden Davis | BUF | 0/1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 |
Punting
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | IN20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Robbins | BUF | 6 | 293 | 48.8 | 1 | 2 | 62 |
| Tory Taylor | CHI | 2 | 115 | 57.5 | 1 | 0 | 59 |
Kick Returns
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laviska Shenault Jr. | BUF | 3 | 84 | 28.0 | 30 |
| Brandon Codrington | BUF | 2 | 55 | 27.5 | 28 |
| KJ Hamler | BUF | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 |
| Elijah Moore | BUF | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 |
| Tyler Scott | CHI | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 |
Punt Returns
| Player | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Richardson | CHI | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 |
| Brandon Codrington | BUF | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 |
| Maurice Alexander | CHI | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 |
Game Information
| Date | Sunday, August 17, 2025 |
| Stadium | Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois |
| Attendance | 49,445 |
| Broadcast | FOX |
| Referee | Clay Martin |
The Takeaway
Williams walked off after two series with the best passer rating on the field at 130.0, and a Chicago training camp full of uneven days finally had a clean one to point to. Tyson Bagent carried the middle quarters for 196 yards and a touchdown, Ian Wheeler ran for 80 yards and two scores, and Cairo Santos was perfect on the night, 5-for-5 on extra points with a 40-yard field goal.
Buffalo finished ten possessions with 180 yards, no points and a lost fumble, its backups unable to move the ball against a Chicago defense that allowed only five passing first downs all night. The first-team offense the Bears had spent August worrying over needed just its opening drive to look the part.
