Bills Defeated by Giants in Preseason Week 1
by: Skylar Barrons
The Buffalo Bills began their preseason Saturday afternoon with a 34-25 loss against the New York Giants. Despite the loss, the game allowed for fans and coaches to get a better idea of the talent, both new and returning, who could greatly benefit the team this season.
Josh Allen rested on the sidelines, giving backups Mitchell Trubisky, Mike White and Shane Buechele an opportunity to run offense. Other players like wide receiver Tyrell Shavers, rookie linebacker Keonta Jenkins and running back Ray Davis showed flashes of potential as the regular season approaches.
The backup quarterbacks got a chance to showcase their capabilities and gave fans a sneak peek on who may ultimately secure the QB2 position. Each of them looked promising on field as they proved their efficiency in advancing the ball.
Trubisky played the entire first half of the game, completing 9 of 13 passes for 138 yards. This included a 58 yard launch to Shavers who totaled 70 yards for the day, as well as an 11 yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox, tight end, later in the second quarter. This was Buffalo’s first touchdown of the day, changing the score to 10-7. Trubisky’s sturdy performance in the first two quarters gave coaches a strong understanding of his proficiency before White and Buechele took the field in the second half.
For the majority of the second half, White controlled the ball, completing 8 of 13 passes for 112 yards, highlighted by two touchdown passes. His first was a 39 yard throw to wide receiver K.J. Hamler in the middle of the third quarter, giving Buffalo a 17-16 lead. In the beginning of the fourth, he completed a 7 yard pass to running back Darrynton Evans, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Laviska Shenault, making the score 25-24.
Buechele also took over in the second half, totaling 91 passing yards. Late in the fourth, a sloppy snap ruined his shot at a game-winning touchdown. As a result, the Giants recovered the ball, and went on to score a field goal, and another touchdown which led to the final 34-25 score.
Just in case the Bills ever need a running back to kick, Davis got a turn. With Tyler Bass out due to a pelvic injury, the coaches wanted to see what other options they had if this were to occur during the regular season. Head coach Sean McDermott explained, “We’ve been on the other side of it where a team has lost their kicker…you make a mental note of that and saying, hey, what if it happened to us?”
As for defense, Jenkins was a key component in stopping the Giants from progressing downfield as he made 6 tackles. Those stops helped keep the game relatively close despite the loss.
While the Bills were playing catch-up for the majority of the game, it gave fans plenty to look forward to and the team plenty to learn from. In all, this preseason game exposed the team’s depth and versatility. With a clearer view of the talent that this team possesses, fans can be optimistic about the coming season.
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