Carolina Panthers victory
So there you have it fans, the Carolina Panthers won their first preseason game Friday night against the Buffalo Bills in exciting fashion, 25-24. How did they do this? Well, we can thank Joe Webb. Webb, projected to be the third-string quarterback for the Carolina Panthers led the offense in the final minute of the game.
With just under a minute left, Webb was scrambling to get away from the defense when he found running back Brandon Wegher just in front of him and completed a short pass to Wegher. As Wegher turned, he had nothing but open field in front of him and raced downfield for a 42-yard touchdown. This put the Panthers within one of the Bills at 23-24, so what did Rivera and staff decide to do? Go for the 2-point conversion. I mean why not, it is preseason and essentially the win or lose does not matter, but it was more important to see if this could be a play the starters could use later in the year in the same situation and honestly, nobody wanted to see overtime.
Aug 14, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at a preseason NFL football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Panthers beat the Bills 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Well, it worked, as Webb found Paul Browning over the middle for the 2-point conversion and the win, 25-24. Which means, the Panthers need to keep that play in the playbook.
So did anyone really stand out in terms of those fighting for a job? Essentially not really, as no receiver or running back put up monster numbers. Rookie running back Cameron Artis-Payne had 8 rushing attempts for 24 yards and Jordan Todman had 3 rushing attempts for 23 yards. Fozzy Whittaker, who started in place of Jonathan Stewart who sat out as a precaution, not injury related, had 5 rushing attempts for 3 yards.
In terms of receiving, rookie Devin Funchess had 2 catches for 53 yards, Kelvin Benjamin had 3 catches for 36 yards, Ted Ginn Jr. had 1 catch for 38 yards in his first game back with the Carolina Panthers and Greg Olsen had 1 catch for 9 yards.
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But, if you do want to look at someone who might make a case to either sign as special teams, or at least the practice squad, look at Brandon Wegher. Wegher not only caught the game winning touchdown pass, he put up some very good numbers. Wegher had 4 rushing attempts for 15 yards, but also had that one catch that went for 42 yards and the touchdown. Yes, it might have been against second and third team defenders, but the hard work Wegher put in speaks for itself.
So where do we go from here? Get prepared for the Miami Dolphins.