Buffalo Bills vs. Chicago Bears Odds, Pick | NFL Preseason Prediction (Saturday, Aug. 26)

We open the Saturday slate of Week 3 NFL preseason games with a pick for Bills vs. Bears.

This game offers a throwback to the old days as both Buffalo and Chicago plan to roll out its starters at Soldier Field.

Let’s break down Bills vs. Bears odds and make a betting pick.

Buffalo is coming off a 27-15 loss to the Steelers. Despite playing their starters, the Bills fell behind 27-0 before two late fourth-quarter touchdowns made the final score look more respectable. They also committed 13 penalties in an all-around ugly performance.

In a decision that could be driven purely out of rage, head coach Sean McDermott has opted to play Josh Allen and the starters in the preseason finale. The offensive line was a big reason why the Bills played so poorly last week, so I can't imagine Allen does too much or stays in long.

Matt Barkley is nursing an elbow injury, so Kyle Allen will likely see a long look as he makes his last case to win the backup quarterback job after a shaky camp.

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The Bears are also playing their starters. Since they sat last week, it appears Matt Eberflus is using this game as the standard "dress rehearsal" for the regular season — something that used to be the norm before the NFL reduced the preseason.

Eberflus used the final preseason game last year as a tune-up, surprising some by playing Justin Fields and the starters for the entire first half against the Browns. Fields threw three touchdown passes and departed with the Bears up 21-6. Chicago ultimately won by the slimmest of margins, 21-20.

Fields will probably stay in the game longer than Allen. The Ohio State product only played three snaps in the first week of preseason before sitting out last week, so this is his only chance to get extended action before the regular-season opener against the Packers.

Tyson Bagent should get a long look after Eberflus left the door open for the undrafted rookie free agent to win the No. 2 QB job from P.J. Walker. Bagent has impressed in a limited sample, completing 13-of-15 passes for 113 yards while adding a rushing touchdown.

The public has been hammering the Bills given the news of Josh Allen and the starters playing — over 90% of the money is on Buffalo as of Friday evening.

That is a lot of points, especially when Fields is arguably the better bet for playing time based on how Matt Eberflus treated the third preseason game last year.