Carolina Panthers: Quarterback play dooms team in loss to Bills
The Carolina Panthers lost a tough one on Friday.
In what was a rough night for the Carolina Panthers, they lost to the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game by a score of 27-14. In doing so, their record dropped to 1-1 on the preseason slate.
Early on in this game, it was all Buffalo. They scored the only points of the first quarter off a field goal courtesy of Stephen Hauschka. To their credit, the Carolina Panthers defense made Buffalo work for their points. The field goal-inducing drive took 13 plays and 63 yards, while shaving 6:49 off the clock.
More from Cat Crave
- Strange contingency plan rumored if Panthers cannot draft QB
- Carolina Panthers losing Derek Carr would be blessing in disguise
- 4 bold trades that would turn the Carolina Panthers into 2023 contenders
- 4 legacy-defining moments of Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson
- 3 reasons the Carolina Panthers won’t trade for Aaron Rodgers in 2023
Buffalo would score a touchdown to extend their lead and put this game further out of reach. With 3: 57 left in the first quarter, LeSean McCoy ran the ball from one yard out to paydirt. Another Hauschka extra point would make it a 10-0 game in favor of Buffalo.
The Carolina Panthers defense held up okay in the first quarter, and was up to the offense to pick up some of the slack. They just couldn’t seem to get many things going on Friday as Buffalo scored their first touchdown of the second quarter as a result of defense. Kevin Johnson returned a 70-yard interception from the arm of Will Grier, and that made it a 17-0 game in favor of Buffalo. Joey Slye, who was impressive last week, made a field goal at the 1:51 mark in the quarter, giving the Carolina Panthers their first points of the game.
The Buffalo Bills were not done with scoring in the second quarter, as Matt Barkley passed to Duke Williams for a nine-yard touchdown which made it a 24-3 game following the extra point. Joey Slye made a 54-yard field goal right as time expired in the second quarter two narrow the deficit to 24-6. The quarterbacks did not look strong on Friday, and I hope they play better next week against New England. For all involved, it was a bit of regression from what happened last week.
The fourth quarter started off more of the same. Chase McLaughlin made a 23-yard field goal for Buffalo to make it a 27-6 game in favor of the Bills. Again, this was a drive that was lengthy, both in terms of plays and time. The field goal concluded a 12-play, 76-yard drive and took 5:12 off the clock. Although things were looking bleak in the fourth quarter the Carolina Panthers would score one more to make the score a little bit more respectable. Rashad Ross caught a nine-yard pass from Taylor Heincke to make it a 27-14 game. That would be the final score as their performance left a lot to be desired.
Heincke was the leading passer on Friday, going eight-of-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. Grier went 10-of-19, throwing for 75 yards and an interception. The leading rusher was Jordan Scarlett. He carried the ball eight times for 35 yards. Reggie Bonnafon was the leading receiver for Carolina, catching four passes for 32 yards. Ross had the lone touchdown of the game.
The Panthers will head to New England next Thursday for a game with the Patriots. Kickoff time is slated for 7:30 PM and I would certainly expect many Carolina Panthers stars to be on the field.