Bills vs. Bears first half observations: Plenty to learn about offense, star defender dodges serious injury

The Buffalo Bills return to Highmark Stadium for live action for the first time this offseason, getting their first look at an opposing team as they host Caleb Williams and and the Chicago Bears .

For Bills fans, there were plenty of takeaways on both sides of the ball in the first half, as the starters saw plenty of reps. Let's get into a few keys.

Ed Oliver injured on the first play of the game

Starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver got banged up on the first snap of the game, leaving the field with a knee injury. Fortunately for Bills fans, it's nothing serious. He was later cleared to return, but the team elected to be cautious and hold him out for the remainder of the game.

Oliver is a key member of the defense coming off a breakout season that saw him log 9.5 sacks. There's no point in forcing him back into a meaningless game and risking further injury when the games don't count. We'll get more updates later, but for now, it seems like Oliver dodged anything serious.

Notably, first up to replace him was rookie DeWayne "Blastoise" Carter , who head coach Sean McDermott has mentioned they expect to be a notable contributor.

Josh Allen looked like Josh Allen

When McDermott said Josh Allen was going to play "about a quarter," me apparently meant that quite literally. When the end of the first quarter hit, Allen was out of there, while the rest of the offensive starters stayed in.

While Allen was in the game, though, he looked like his vintage self. 2/3 passing for 22 yards, hitting Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel. Allen also saw a third down play break down, and decided to tuck it and run for the first down pickup.

Ho hum. Another day at the office for one of the league's best quarterbacks, showcasing his arm and his legs, and getting out of the game healthy. I would expect  McDermott to ramp up Allen's involvement over the remaining two preseason games to continue to build the chemistry with his new receivers.

The wide receivers flashed plenty of upside

Obviously, coaches aren't going to reveal much about their gameplans for the regular season, but we did learn a little bit about the receivers and how they're going to be used.

To start the game, Buffalo went with a 12 personnel grouping, meaning they were lining up with one running back and two tight ends – Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. The starting X wide receiver was Coleman , which was expected. The wide receiver getting the start opposite Coleman was Khalil Shakir . I was curious to see which receiver was going to be on the field in two wide receiver sets, and it looks like Shakir is getting that nod.

Shakir went on to look terrific early, constantly getting open on short to intermediate routes. He caught all three of his targets for 28 yards, including an impressive catch and run that went for 19 yards on 4th and 2.

Curtis Samuel also saw plenty of opportunities, including a designed screen to get the ball to the playmaker that he took for 15 yards. It certainly looks like this is going to be a high-volume, get-the-ball-out style of offense where Josh Allen acts as a distributor and picks his spots to take his shots.

Defensive Coordinator Bobby Babich dialed up some pressure

The defense is going to be a bit of a work in progress as new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and his defense get on the same page, but there was progress. Early, the Bills defense let Caleb Williams dice them for some big plays, but the defense stood tall in third down and red zone opportunities, not surrendering a touchdown.

Notably, on third and short in the red zone, Babich dialed up pressure against a run look. Rasul Douglas came flying off the edge and tackled D'Andre Swift for a loss, forcing a field goal.

For people panicking about the defense, it's too early for that. It was the first drive of the first preseason drive, with a new defensive coordinator calling plays for the first time, with Ed Oliver going down on the first play, and with Matt Milano and Von Miller being held out. Everyone needs to take a collective breath and wait until the games count.

Related: Josh Allen says one of his teammates is making life hard on the Bills front office