Bills Reacts Survey: Preseason Week 1

The Buffalo Bills gave fans plenty of reasons to shout during their NFL preseason Week 1 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts. While the 23-19 score doesn’t really matter, it counts. Winning builds confidence, and the Bills will feature enough young players in 2023 who took the first steps towards what should be a fearless attack to the 2023 NFL season.

Of course, we’re still waiting for quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs to once again grace our hi-def screens. But there were plenty of starters and players vying for a starting role who battled it out last Saturday in Orchard Park, NY.

While there will always be things to correct and improve upon, a victory for head coach Sean McDermott’s latest group of players goes a long way toward positive development.

Of particular note were the performances at quarterback, with many finding reason for concern over Kyle Allen’s play. Conversely, it’s difficult to uncover someone who doesn’t think that Matt Barkley should be the team’s QB2 at this point in time. Barkley certainly shined in completing 14-of-15 passes for 172 yards with two touchdowns. It’s important to point out that Barkley is a 10-year NFL veteran, who played against defenders with decidedly less experience. But it’s also impossible to ignore Barkley’s production.

The most intense battles have been at linebacker, CB2, and WR3 this summer. Saturday’s game didn’t disappoint, with any of those groups. Whoever starts across from linebacker Matt Milano and cornerback Tre’Davious White is going to have to work their tail off to earn it. The same goes for WR3, where some unsung heroes are making waves and crowding an already full wide receiver room.

With the retirement of offensive tackle Brandon Shell, the Bills will have to regroup and shuffle the deck. Behind Spencer Brown at right tackle now, the team lists only David Quessenberry. Whether that changes or not is still very much up in the air.

Things can and do often change on a weekly basis, so how are you feeling about the Bills after one game of preseason action? Are you confident the Buffalo Bills are headed in the right direction?

Vote in this week’s poll and the results will be published later this week.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Buffalo Bills fans and fans across the country.
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