The Buffalo Bills head into the regular season with a smile as they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 Saturday night. Here's what we learned from the final preseason game.

1 — QB Shane Buechele takes advantage of the spotlight

Buffalo's first two preseason games featured heavy doses of QBs Mitch Trubisky and Mike White as the two battle for the primary backup position. With the Bills' coaching staff having seen enough to form an evaluation at that position, head coach Sean McDermott turned to veteran Shane Buechele to handle all the quarterback snaps Saturday in Tampa.

"It was my first time ever playing a full game in the NFL," Buechele said. "It was a lot of fun, man."

Buechele, who is a candidate to be Buffalo's practice squad QB, delivered a razor-sharp performance, completing 25 of his 30 pass attempts for 278 yards and a touchdown. The 27-year-old QB looked like he was having fun and playing loose, particularly when plays broke down. Buechele made a number of plays with his feet to evade defenders and make throws outside the pocket; he also picked up 20 rushing yards, two of which resulted in first downs.

All in all, the Bills scored on five of their eight possessions with Buechele under center.

"I thought Shane had great command of the game," head coach Sean McDermott said. "We moved the ball down the field, scored points, controlled clock."

Buechele, who spent the first three years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, joined Buffalo's practice squad ahead of the 2023 season. Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Buechele was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury and missed the entirety of the season.

Now healthy, the former Texas Longhorn has been soaking up every chance he gets in practice and in preseason.

"Last season was tough from the aspect of not being able to put on pads, and just working my way back, God is good… I kept telling myself that every time I went out on the field tonight," he said.

2 — Did you see that?!

Saturday's finale delivered a handful of 'wow' moments, many of which featured Bills players stepping up and making big plays.

Just before the game started, the broadcast announced that punter Brad Robbins would not be handling punting duties due to an illness. In his place, Buffalo surprised everyone when it opted to turn to a tight end to handle punting.

On 4^th and 4 from the Buffalo 26-yard line, TE Zach Davison trotted onto the field at the end of the first quarter and sent a booming 62-yard punt that had his teammates gasping in disbelief. The league average punt in 2024 was approximately 45 yards.

Davidson, an avid golfer, says he visualized the routine he uses in his golf swing to go through his kicking motion.

"It's a golf swing. A lot of it's trying not to get the ball too hard, trying not to overstep, trying to make sure your drops ready and in the right place. I was just thinking about setting a coffee cup on the table and then getting a full leg sweep through the ball, and everything worked out," he said.

Knowing prior to the game that he'd be called upon in emergency punt situations, Davidson explained that he got in 20 reps in warmups to familiarize himself with the field conditions.

"I knew all I had to do is relax, get out there, drop the ball and kick the ball," he laughed.

A short time later, WR Tyrell Shavers made one of the best catches you'll see across the NFL all preseason.

From the Tampa Bay 11-yard line, Buechele lined up under center, dropped back and lofted a fade to the left side for the 6-foot-4 receiver who not only hauled in the pass using his left hand, but also maintained control going to the ground and got both of his feet in bounds.

"(My) number was called in the huddle, knew the fade was coming to me," Shavers explained. "The DB was being real physical. I had to be bigger, of course, being a bigger body, and go make a play one way or another."

3 — One final evaluation before the 53-man roster

The closing of preseason is a bittersweet time for teams and players across the NFL. The joy of bonding and building the culture with your teammates during the hot months of July and August are a special time for new and veteran players alike.

However, as the calendar soon turns to September, roster turnover and cutdown day means teammates you played with this week may be elsewhere in a few days. The last preseason game is the final chance for players to audition for a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster, the practice squad or put good tape on film for another team to potentially see.

"We've got tough decisions to make," McDermott said. "I want all these guys to be able to play in the league. It's been fun to coach them and a real joy."

One of those players who has experience dealing with the emotions of roster cutdowns is Shavers. Much like this preseason, Shavers' development in 2024 was a pleasant surprise. While he didn't make the active roster, Shavers eventually returned to the Bills' practice squad.

Players on the practice squad still take part in everyday practice and game planning during the regular season and can be called up and activated on game days when active players get injured. In Week 17 last year, Shavers was activated from the PS and his first NFL reception turned into a 69-yard touchdown.

In 2025, Shavers has taken his development to the next level in hopes of earning a spot on the 53.

"It's been a roller coaster, but a blessing. It's been fun. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world," Shavers shared. "I stayed here over the summer, just getting right, getting ready for getting prepared. Now, it's just time to let the chips fall where they may."

Shavers has shown the versatility to play on special teams as well, a critical component the coaching staff looks for in evaluations.

"I'm able to do whatever I'm asked to do, whether that's special teams, offense, play inside, play outside. Whatever you need me to do, I'm able to do it," he said.

The Bills have dealt with a number of injuries across multiple positions in camp and even in the days leading up to a preseason game. That has led to a couple signings the last two weeks where free agents didn't even board a plane to Buffalo. Instead, they met the team in the visiting city before the game.

Such was the case for RB Elijah Young who the Bills officially signed less than seven hours before kickoff. Young went on to lead the Bills in scrimmage yards with 53 rushing and 40 receiving.

Knowing they have a roster full of players who compete their hardest every single day will make Tuesday's decisions difficult for the coaching staff.

"You see how hard they work, everything they've put into it, they've done everything that we've asked," McDermott said.