Buffalo travels to Chicago to open the 2014 season in what should be a tough test for a young Bills team. Chicago is entering its season season with head coach Marc Trestman and the Bears are a darkhorse NFC contender for some.
How to watch Bills vs. Bears 2014: Time, TV schedule, online streaming, radio and more
The Bills go to Chicago to play the Bears Sunday. Buffalo will need E.J. Manuel to take a step forward this season while the Bears are beginning what they hope is a Super Bowl run.
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Not only do the Bills have to go on the road, but they may have to play with key players at less than 100 percent. Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins is battling injuries, but he's going to be essential to any success Buffalo has this season. The team is banking on its offense being dynamic and for E.J. Manuel to take the next step in his development, but that won't happen without Watkins.
It might not bode well that Manuel wasn’t named a team captain, but the Bills are going to have to hope he snaps out of his offensive funk. The defense was a sack machine last season, but with so many changes on that side of the ball -- including the introduction of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz -- its future remains a mystery.
It won’t help any Bills fan feel better to remember that the team traded its 2015 first-round pick to Cleveland for the chance to draft Watkins.
The Bears are loaded on offense, but their defense could be the one thing holding them back. Nevertheless, the offense really is talented enough to carry the team, but everything hinges on quarterback Jay Cutler's ability to stay healthy.
If that happens, there could be some serious Super Bowl aspirations in Chicago. But, Bears fans have heard that before, and they won’t soon forget the team’s last two losses of 2013, which kept Chicago out of the playoffs altogether.
How to watch
Where: Soldier Field
When: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Radio: WGR 550 (Buffalo), WBBM 780 & 105.9FM (Chicago)
Online streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL Mobile
Nuts and bolts
On the surface, the Bears and Bills don’t have a lot in common. Buffalo is still trying to find its way offensively and see whether Manuel is a franchise quarterback. The Bears appear ready to hit the ground running on offense and barring the unexpected should have one of the top offensive units in the NFL. Buffalo’s strength is on defense, but even so it will be challenged to slow down the Bears. Chicago was far from a lock-down defensive team last season. Even still, Manuel and the Bills offense has yet to prove it’s capable of keeping pace in a shootout. If Chicago is a NFC North and even NFC contender, this is a game to make a statement.
Further reading
For more on the Bills, check out Buffalo Rumblings.
For more on the Bears, be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron.
See More:
