Three key questions that must be answered for the Buffalo Bills in preseason week 2

It's been a doozy of a week for Bills Mafia, seeing Buffalo Bills star linebacker Matt Milano go down with a torn biceps that will sideline him for roughly four months. Coming off a season-ending leg injury last year, Bills fans were thrilled to see Milano and Terrel Bernard operate as one of the best linebacker duos in the NFL this year.

Alas, it's not to be. Heading into the second preseason game, plenty of questions and not a lot of answers currently surround the Bills roster. Here are three key questions that I want to have some answers to after Saturday night.

Question 1: Put simply – linebacker play

Just because it's obvious doesn't make it any less important.

The Bills announced earlier today that the starters will play for roughly a quarter and a half on Saturday night, and while risky, it's the right call. This team needs all the reps and chemistry that it can get, especially in the wake of the Milano injury.

My eyes will be keenly glued to the linebacker group, with 2023 3rd round pick Dorian Williams being tabbed the next man up behind Milano. Last year, he got two starts, logging 15 total tackles and a quarterback hit. He also appeared in 10 other games.

Can Williams show more polish in pass coverage? That's an area I'll be watching on Saturday.

Williams is fast, athletic, and flies around on defense, but still lacks some polish. He will have a ton of responsibilities heaped on his shoulders this season, and the Bills will be hoping for a Bernard-like ascension.

Question 2: Can the offensive line make progress in the run game

In the first preseason game, the starting offensive line looked pretty good in pass protection, but they got little to no push in the run game. That, obviously, has to change.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed 4.4 yards per carry, which was 22nd in the league. Knowing that we're going to see the starting offensive line for the first quarter and a half, I want to see the Dawkins-Edwards-McGovern-Torrence-Brown unit play with a little bit of nastiness and open up some running lanes. If we go two straight preseason games without seeing some promising run blocking from a team that ran the ball at the sixth-highest clip in the league last year would definitely be cause for concern.

Question 3: Can we just stay healthy, please?

I know injuries are all the rage this week, but could we just, like, not?

Much like last year, there's already a long list of injuries shaping up on the defensive side of the ball. The safety position has been a turnstile of names throughout training camp, and now the linebacker position is dealing with numerous, albeit mostly slight, ailments.

If we could please just get through the second preseason game without dealing with any major injuries, that would be absolutely lovely.

Related: Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler's bad luck continues after suffering another brutal injury

Follow along all season for all the latest Buffalo Bills news. You can also find me on X @JonHelmkamp .