Bills' historic preseason blowout loss to Bears comes with shocking silver lining

The Buffalo Bills' 38-0 loss to the Chicago Bears was hideous, but the last two NFL teams to suffer similar August beatdowns both went on to the playoffs.

Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Mike White (14) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Even the most rabid amongst the Bills Mafia is struggling to find anything positive about Sunday night's debacle in Chicago. But dig deep enough and there is — sort of — a silver lining.

The Buffalo Bills' defense couldn't stop Caleb Williams or, for that matter, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent . Offensively, Mike White's push to win the job to be Josh Allen's backup amounted to five drives and five punts.

MORE: Josh Allen's backup QB unchanged after woeful Mike White performance in Bills' loss

In the understatement of the season — and we're only in mid-August — Bills' head coach Sean McDermott admitted the 38-0 shellacking "was not up to our standards."

It is, however, the preseason, and, in a weird twist, there is precedent for the lopsided loss being a good thing.

The 38-point defeat is the worst by the Bills in a preseason game in 50 years, topping the most recent mega-blowout set in a 35-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997. Two times before, Buffalo was embarrassed in August at the hands of the Bears: 35-7 in 1990, and 33-6 last summer.

Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) celebrates with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Soldier Field | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Even more damning, the 38-point margin is the second-largest in an NFL preseason game in the last 10 years. The 2022 Philadelphia Eagles lost, 48-10, to the Miami Dolphins. The biggest beatdown? The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Denver Broncos in 2023, 41-0.

No denying the carnage. But here's the glass-half-full stretch — The Bills who lost to the Bears by 28 points in 1990 and who lost by 27 in 2024 both went to the playoffs. So too the 2022 Eagles. And the 2023 Rams.

MORE: Bills' biggest 53-man roster upset is primed to happen at wide receiver

This isn't to say the second preseason game can be a "circle the wagons" rallying point for McDermott to lean on all season. But history says 38-0 also isn't a season-ending nail in the premature coffin.

Aug 15, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott addresses the media at Halas Hall before joint training camp practice with the Chicago Bears ahead of Sunday's preseason game. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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