Panthers at Bills: 3 matchups to watch for

Offensive line vs. Bills defense

Again, this is another instance where the Carolina Panthers offense will be challenged by the Bills defense. This is the most important matchup to watch for on Thursday because the offensive line has been an area of positional concern.

In particular, I am excited to see how undrafted signee Brendan Mahon will do. With the injuries to the offensive line, he will be starting the game  at left guard on Thursday with Tyler Larsen starting at the center spot. He will likely have to deal with Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson among others.

The offensive line as a whole has been a position of disaster for the team.  We will either see them hold their own and offer encouraging signs, or see them get bullied by the pass rush. This kind of goes hand in hand with the quarterback play as a solid line will lead to solid quarterback play and vice versa. The running game too will be affected by the performance of the line. As a result, they may have to hit their openings quicker and exhibit split-second decision-making.

If they do not perform well, it is a cause for concern but not the end of the world (yet). After all, it is only the first preseason game. Ideally, noticeable growth over the next three weeks would be great.

However, one thing is certain: Good or bad, a lot hinges on the offensive line.