The Chicago Bears showed they were ready for the regular season when they dismantled the Buffalo Bills 38-0 on Sunday night. Playing in front of a national television audience, Caleb Williams had the offense looking crisp and the defense suffocated a Bills offense without Josh Allen, creating plenty of optimism ahead of their season-opening matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.
Even with that performance, head coach Ben Johnson probably wants to see a little more. With that in mind, Johnson and the rest of the Bears received a gift after their final preseason opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, made a big reveal this week.
At his press conference today, Andy Reid told Kansas City media of his plan for starters on Friday night vs. #Bears:
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 18, 2025
'They’ll start it off, for sure. And then we'll see how it goes from there.'
Ben Johnson hinted last night at possibility he plays his starters as well.
Bears Have One More Chance to Impress Against Chiefs Starters
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Monday that he plans to play his starters in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Bears. Reid acknowledged that his first string will “start it off…and then we’ll see how it goes from there,” but no matter how long they play, it’s a benefit to the Bears.
Chicago went up and down the field against the Bills on Sunday night, and Williams was a big reason why. Playing the first two series, the second-year quarterback led a 92-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 36-yard catch and run by Olamide Zaccheaus and finished the night 6-of-10 passing for 107 yards and no sacks taken.
“He’s been really locked in,” Johnson said of Williams’s performance on Sunday. “Anytime you’re a young player, there’s usually a couple of steps forward and one step back. And that’s really been the story of this training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about it as we’ve gone through. And he’s had some really good practices, and he’s had a couple where it's not good enough. I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he’s stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be to keep pushing that direction.”
While Williams’s arrow is up after Sunday’s game, it was also played against backups. Playing against any first-string team could be beneficial to a young quarterback’s confidence, but it’s especially so when you’re playing against the NFL’s modern dynasty with five Super Bowl appearances and three championships in the past five seasons.
Of course, there is some risk-reward and the Bears are relatively healthy outside of Jaylon Johnson’s injury situation and they would like to keep it that way. But if the Chiefs throw Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs' starters on the field, it could let Chicago know how far they have to go before the season begins.