Today at 1 p.m. ET, the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears kick off their 2014 schedules with Week 1 action live from Soldier Field in Chicago. The game can be live steamed here. Buffalo fans can hear all of the action on WGR 550 while Chicago fans can do the same on WGN 720.
Buffalo is coming off of a 6-10 season where it finished in fourth place in the AFC East and will look to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 1999 while Chicago enters play after going 8-8 last season, good enough for second in the NFC North. The Bears missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Bears offense was solid last season, but couldn't do enough to make the playoffs in 2013 thanks in large part to the defense.
"We're hungry," Pro Bowl cornerback Tim Jennings said of the defense, according to ESPN. "We've got attitude from last year. The coaches feel the same way as well as the players do. ... We really still have a bad taste in our mouth from last season."
The offense looks to pick up where it left off in 2013 while quarterback Jay Cutler will try to avoid injuries after an ailment to his ankle and groin limited him during parts of last season. Cutler was mostly solid when healthy, going 224-for-355 (63.1%) for 2,621 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Cutler has plenty of weapons as Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey proved to be one of the most potent combos in the league at wide receiver last season. Marshall had 100 receptions for 1,295 yards last season along with 12 touchdowns while Jeffrey had 89 catches for a team-best 1,339 yards and seven scores. Chicago added Santonio Holmes to the receiving mix.
Matt Forte was a versatile weapon on the ground last season, rushing for 1,339 yards on 229 carries while reaching the end zone nine times.
The Bills are hopeful that EJ Manuel will continue to improve entering his second year under center for the team.
"With EJ, obviously we're looking for him to progress and to keep coming along," coach Doug Marrone said via ESPN. "We're going to stick with him. I'm going to support him 110 percent. And we're going to get him better."
Manuel went 180-for-306 (58.8%) for 1,972 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine picks as a rookie in 2013.
Manuel will have highly touted rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who is probable as he deals with a rib injury, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers import Mike Williams to throw to this season.
C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson will look to pace the Bills on the ground. Spiller led Buffalo with 933 yards on 202 carries with two touchdowns last season while Jackson had 206 carries for 890 yards and reached the end zone nine times.
The Bills and Bears kick off their 2014 seasons when they go head-to-head at Soldier Field this afternoon in Chicago.
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