The Buffalo Bills will begin the 2014 regular season on the road against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, Sept. 7 with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Sunday's game will be the 12th regular season meeting between Buffalo and Chicago and the first time the two teams will have met on Kickoff Weekend.
With a win over the Bears on Sunday, the Bills will:
• Win their first ever game in Chicago
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BILLS-BEARS REGULAR SEASON SERIES**
• Overall regular season record: 4-7
• Bills on road at Bears: 0-5
• Last meeting on road: 10/8/2006, L 7-40 @ Chicago
• First regular season meeting: 11/22/1970, L 13-31 @ Chicago
• Last regular season meeting: 11/7/2010, L 19-22 @ Toronto
BILLS-BEARS SERIES
Buffalo and Chicago will meet for the 12th time in the regular season this week. The Bills are 4-7 all-time against the Bears. Sunday's game will be the first time the teams have ever met on Kickoff Weekend and will feature the Bills looking to get their first ever victory at Solider Field (0-5). The two teams last met in 2010, with the Bears coming away with the 22-19 victory at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
BILLS-BEARS SERIES HIGHS
Rushing Yards
Bills: 117, Thurman Thomas 9/29/91 @ BUF
Bears: 155, Walter Payton 10/7/79 @ BUF
Receiving Yards
Bills: 145, Stevie Johnson 11/7/10 @ BUF
Bears: 115, Curtis Conway 12/7/97 @ CHI
Passing Yards
Bills: 328, Drew Bledsoe 9/29/02 @ BUF
Bears: 270, Erik Kramer 12/7/97 @ CHI
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR ...**
OFFENSE
QB EJ Manuel
• 28 passing yards to record 2,000 passing yards for his career
• 20 completions to record 200 completions for his career
WR Robert Woods
• 10 receptions to total 50 catches in his career
WR Mike Williams
• Will record 3,000 receiving yards for his NFL career with 53 receiving yards
• 10 receptions to record 225 for his career
RB C.J. Spiller
• 10 rushing attempts to record 600 for his career
• 11 receptions to total 150 receptions in his career
RB Fred Jackson
• Two rushing touchdowns to become the fourth Bill with 30 or more in his career
• One overall touchdown to become the ninth Bill with 35 or more for his career
TE Scott Chandler
• Needs 15 receptions to become fourth Bills TE with 150 for his career
• Needs one receiving touchdown to become the fourth Bills TE with 15 or more in his career
• Since 2011, Chandler's nine touchdowns in September are tied for fourth most in NFL, only trailing Jimmy Graham, Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker.
DEFENSE
DT Marcell Dareus
• 1.5 sack to post 20.0 in his NFL career
DT Kyle Williams
• 1.0 sack to post 30.0 in his NFL career
DE Jerry Hughes
• Three tackles for a loss to record 20 for his career
DE Mario Williams
• Will start and play in his 115th career NFL game
• 3.5 sacks to record 80.0 for his career
SPECIAL TEAMS
CB/PR Leodis McKelvin
• One punt return touchdown to set new team record with four
BILLS - BEARS CONNECTIONS
FORMER BILLS/BEARS
• Bills QB Kyle Orton entered the NFL in 2005 as a fourth-round pick (106th overall) of the Bears. He played for Chicago from 2005-08, leading the Bears to 10 wins in his rookie season.
• Buffalo Linebackers Coach Fred Pagac played for the Bears in 1974.
• Bills CB Corey Graham used to be a Bear from 2007-2011.
• Buffalo G Chris Williams was a Bear from 2008-2012.
• Bills DT Corbin Bryant participated in the 2011 offseason and training camp with the Bears.
AREA CONNECTIONS
• Bears DE Trevor Scott was originally born in Potsdam, NY, and attended college at the University at Buffalo.
• Bills DT Corbin Bryant is originally from Chicago, IL.
NFL CONNECTIONS
• Bills Linebackers Coach Fred Pagac and Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman both worked with the Oakland Raiders in 2001. Pagac also worked with Bears Running Backs Coach Skip Peete for the Raiders from 2001-03.
• Bills Director of Player Personnel Jim Monos worked for the New Orleans Saints from 2008-12 while Bears Offensive Coordinator Aaron Kromer was offensive line/running game coordinator there.
• Bills Assistant Defensive Backs coach Samson Brown was the coaching assistant for the New York Jets from 2010-11 while Bears Quarterbacks Coach Matt Cavanaugh was there as quarterbacks coach. Cavanaugh also worked with Bills Defensive Backs Coach Donnie Henderson for the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2003.
• Bills LB Keith Rivers and Bears TE Martellus Bennett both played for the New York Giants in 2012.
• Bears TE Martellus Bennett also played with Bills TE Scott Chandler for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.
• Bills G Erik Pears also played with Bears QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall for the Denver Broncos from 2006-08.
• Bills LB Brandon Spikes, Bears FB Tony Fiammetta and DE Trevor Scott all played for the New England Patriots in 2012.
• Bills DE Mario Williams and Bears CB Sherrick McManis both wore the Texans jersey from 2010-11.
• Bills DE Manny Lawson played with Bears WR Josh Morgan for the San Fransico 49ers from 2008-10. Bears WR Micheal Spurlock also played with them in 2009.
• Bills DE Jarius Wynn and Bears WR Micheal Spurlock played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2013.
COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
• Bills CB Stephon Gilmore played with Bears WR Alshon Jeffery for South Carolina from 2009-11. In the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl, Gilmore connected on a 29 yard pass with Jeffrey.
• Bills Offensive Line Coach Pat Morris was offensive line coach at Michigan State while Bears Running Backs Coach Skip Peete coached the wide receivers from 1993-94.
• Bears LB Christian Jones and Bills QB EJ Manuel were both Seminoles at Florida State from 2010-12. Bills LB Nigel Bradham also played with them in 2010-11.
• Bills T Cordy Glenn and Bears DE Cornelius Washinton played for Georgia together from 2009-11.
• Bills LB Preston Brown and Bears RB Senorise Perry were both Louisville Cardinals from 2010-12.
• Bears S Danny McCray and Bills CB Ron Brooks played for LSU together in 2008. Brooks also played with Bears DT Ego Ferguson from 2010-11. Bills DT Kyle Williams played with Bears S Craig Steltz at LSU from 2004-05.
• Bills T Seantrel Henderson played for Miami (Fla.) with Bears P Pat O'Donnell from 2010-13.
• Bills S Duke Williams played with Bears CB Isaiah Frey from 2008-11 at Nevada.
