As it did for most teams, the Buffalo Bills began their preseason slate of games on Saturday in their matchup against the Chicago Bears. With Buffalo transitioning to an era where veterans like wide receiver Stefon Diggs and cornerback Tre'Davious White led the team, the franchise is now looking to star quarterback Josh Allen to hold down the fort until the younger players are ready to contribute at a high level.

Unfortunately, the Bills did not start the preseason on a good note as they lost to the Bears in disappointing fashion by the score of 33-6. Granted, Buffalo's presumed starters did not play much in this one as Allen only attempted three passes and starting running back James Cook only ran the football four times.

What the preseason represents for every team is the chance to look at the starting unit and see how they stack up against other teams in limited action while other players are trying to prove themselves on a big stage.

With that in mind, here is the stock report following Saturday's 33-6 loss to the Bears:

Stock Up: Passing Game

Within the context of the preseason, the Bills' passing game played well in stretches and the most notable part about it was different players making plays within the scheme. At least six players had a reception of at least 10 yards and for a Bills team trying to find its way after the departures of Diggs and Gabe Davis, Saturday was a good start.

Stock Down: Offensive Line

While there is a saying that the defense is more ready than the offense in the beginning of the season, Saturday's game against the Bears was troubling in terms of pass protection. Mitch Trubisky and Shane Buechele were sacked a combined eight times in just 28 pass attempts, something that would spell doom for any offense if those kind of numbers happened in a real game. The hope is that the offensive line can be better moving forward.

Stock Up: RB Frank Gore Jr.

It wasn't the most incredible display of protection from the running back position, but Gore appeared to separate from some of the other running backs towards the bottom of the group. Gore averaged 3.0 yards per carry and provided some juice in the passing game by picking up 16 receiving yards on three catches.

Stock Down: Defense

Despite what was said above about the defense usually being ahead of the offense in terms of scheme and performance, that seemed to not be the case for Buffalo's defense. Chicago ran just 52 plays, but managed to gain 340 yards of offense, including 141 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Buffalo has some work to do on that end.

Stock Up: K Tyler Bass

For a Bills team that may have some trouble moving the ball in the red zone, it is important for kicker Tyler Bass to be in his peak form and if Saturday is any indication, he should be reliable for the Bills heading into the regular season. He made both of his field-goal attempts, including a 49-yarder.

Stock Down: Discipline

For any NFL fan reading this, it is already know that penalties can kill drives and can make establishing any rhythm on the offensive end virtually impossible. It's the first preseason game, but the Bills picking up 11 penalties for 75 yards will not get it done on most nights, even against some of the worst teams in the NFL.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Stock up, stock down following the Bills' preseason loss to the Bears