Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos – Preseason Week 2 Preview

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WHEC) – The Buffalo Bills look to start the preseason 2-0 as the Denver Broncos come to town on Saturday.

Buffalo Bills Gameday Basics

Teams: Buffalo Bills (1-0) vs Denver Broncos (1-0)

Time: Saturday at 1 p.m.

What’s At Stake?

On Thursday, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said most of the starters will play in Saturday’s game. McDermott didn’t timestamp how many series or quarters they might play, but did say he’s got an idea of how it’ll play out.

“I’m not gonna get into how much they’ll play. I’ll would just say the starters will play a healthy amount,” said McDermott.

McDermott also didn’t get into who all will play, noting that not every single starter will see action. However, the name most people are concerned about is Josh Allen, who is confirmed to play.

Last Time Out

The Bills won last week over Indianapolis, taking it 27-24 in the final seconds.

Buffalo trailed by 14 points with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter. Matt Barkley would lead three consecutive scoring drives, capped off by a Tyler Bass 46-yard game-winning field goal.

A pair of wide receivers shined in Buffalo’s win. Rookie Khalil Shakir caught five passes for 92 yards. Isaiah Hodgins led the Bills with 9 catches and turned it into 77 yards.

On the ground, Raheem Blackshear found the endzone twice and also hauled in four catches for 60 yards.

Defensively, the Bills forced two turnovers. The biggest splash play came from Terrell Bernard, who scooped up a Nick Foles fumble and took it 69 yards to the house. On the next possession, Jaquan Johnson picked off Foles in the first quarter and ran it back 15 yards to the Colts 32-yard line.

However, the Bills still showed their own rust. Case Keenum started the game at quarterback and threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Barkley had one pick and Jake Kumerow also turned the ball over on a fumble.

Despite those mishaps, the Bills were able to turn it around for the fourth quarter comeback win.

Bills Player To Watch

Gabe Davis

The UCF product enters his third NFL season with big expectations. Davis put up nearly identical numbers in his first two seasons:

• 2020: 35 receptions, 599 yards, 7 touchdowns
• 2021: 35 receptions, 549 yards, 6 touchdowns

However, it was in the Bills’ final game of the season, in the Divisional Round at Kansas City, where Davis showed what he’s capable of.

Davis exploded against the Chiefs for 8 receptions, 201 yards, and 4 touchdowns. The big game sparked a consensus among Bills Mafia that Davis might be ready to hold down the WR2 spot beside Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo showed that commitment to Davis in the offseason, parting ways with wide receivers Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders. But they didn’t make a huge play in a wideout free agent class that included Allen Robinson, Christian Kirk, and Julio Jones.

Instead, the Bills signed Jamison Crowder and Tavon Austin to deals, paving the way for Davis to move up the depth chart. If Odell Beckham Jr. signs with Buffalo, that’ll make for another story, but regardless, Davis’ production should still go up.

All of this needless to say that Davis will be someone to keep an eye on all season long, so in his first preseason game, it’ll be interesting to see how many times Allen targets him, and if he does anything notable.