CHICAGO — AJ McCarron couldn’t remember having this much fun at any level of football.
Trailing by five in the closing minutes, he told his teammates they were going to pull out the win and it would be a “legendary” moment for them.
McCarron delivered in the end after struggling for most of the game, leading a fourth-quarter surge that culminated with a touchdown pass in the final minute, and the Bills closed the preseason with a 28-27 victory over the Bears on Thursday night.
With both teams holding out their starters and few key reserves playing, the focus was on McCarron. For most of the game, he made a shaky case for a roster spot let alone a starting job, but he did come through down the stretch.
He ran for a touchdown and threw for three more in the fourth — including a 6-yarder to Keith Towbridge in the closing minute. That capped an 84-yard drive that was aided by two roughing-the-passer calls, including one against Isaiah Irving on a fourth down at the Buffalo 3.
“I looked at the group and told them, ‘Watch this, it’s gonna be legendary,'” McCarron said. “First, I said, ‘Watch this, we’re gonna go down and win and you’re gonna remember this for a long time so this is gonna be legendary — for us and for our group, not knowing who’s (gonna be) here tomorrow.’ … It was just awesome to battle with them and probably the most fun I’ve ever had.”
McCarron was 13 of 34 for 156 yards and had an interception returned for a touchdown in the early going. He could be the odd man out if the Bills opt to go with two quarterbacks rather than three, though coach Sean McDermott insisted he is “absolutely” in the race for the starting job with first-round pick Josh Allen and returning backup Nathan Peterman.
He also said he has not decided who will start the opener at Baltimore on Sept. 9.