Well, the Carolina Panthers finally trotted out their first-team offense and defense this week, and if you missed it, trust me, it wasn’t pretty. The Panthers ended up falling to the Buffalo Bills 29-14 in a preseason opener that highlighted some serious struggles for the starting unit. It was an ugly day, no two ways about it, especially for a squad that’s supposed to be gelling before the real games start.
Bills Smother Panthers Starting Offense
Right out of the gate, the Bills’ starting offense, led by Josh Allen, marched down the field like it was nothing. A 21-yard pass to Khalil Shakir and then a massive 32-yard catch and run by DJ Moore had them rolling before a Jaelan Phillips sack finally slowed them down. Buffalo settled for a field goal, taking an early 3-0 lead. On the flip side, the Panthers’ starting offense got absolutely smothered. Bryce Young threw the ball away to avoid a sack on third down, leading to a quick three and out. The Bills kept pushing, and even a potential third-down sack on Josh Allen was wiped out by a Trevis Gipson face mask penalty. Naturally, Allen followed that up with a touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, pushing the lead to 10-0. The Panthers’ second drive with the first team? Another three and out after a batted Bryce Young pass. It was rough to watch.
Kenny Pickett Sparks a Glimmer of Hope
The second quarter didn’t start much better for Carolina. The Bills converted a fourth down easily and later got into field goal range again, though Tyler Bass missed one attempt before nailing another after a tackle for loss and a gang sack forced his hand. It was 13-0 Bills, and the Panthers’ starting offense was still stuck in neutral, managing yet another three and out after an unspecified penalty. Then, Kenny “Two Gloves” Pickett came in. Suddenly, things changed. A facemask penalty against the Bills gave the Panthers their first drive conversion of the game. Pickett then hit Jimmy Horn Jr. for a nice completion, and Ja’Seem Reed drew a defensive pass interference call, putting Carolina in scoring range. Pickett himself scrambled, setting up first and goal, and then slung a touchdown pass to Reed, making the score 13-7!
That drive with Pickett was a much-needed shot of adrenaline for a team that had looked totally flat. While the Bills managed another score to push the final to 29-14, that second-quarter spark was something. Panthers fans will be watching closely to see if that connection between Pickett and Reed can grow. For the rest of this preseason, it’s all about finding that rhythm and cleaning up those early game struggles, especially with the regular season looming.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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