The Carolina Panthers will reportedly be playing without quarterback Bryce Young, and the Buffalo Bills are a Super Bowl favorite fresh off their bye week.
On paper, this looks like a mismatch. But this matchup isn’t that simple.
The Bills’ defense has been vulnerable up front all season. Buffalo has allowed 938 rushing yards, fewer than only the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Cincinnati Bengals, who have all played one more game.
And those rushing yards conceded have been on just 163 carries, meaning the Bills give up a league-worst 5.8 yards per carry. In other words, when opponents commit to the run, Buffalo has no answer.
Carolina Panthers have the coping mechanisms to compensate for Bryce Young's absence
Meanwhile, the Panthers’ new offensive identity is built around the run game and a two-headed backfield featuring Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. This change couldn’t come at a better time. With Young's high ankle sprain set to keep him out, veteran Andy Dalton will take over under center.
While the experienced understudy brings steadiness and experience, the Panthers’ best chance to stay competitive won’t come through the air. It’ll come from the ground. Against the New York Jets, Dowdle and Hubbard combined for 31 carries and 151 total yards.
“It just came out like we thought,” Canales said after the game. “Both guys ran physically, ran aggressive, and it paid off for us.”
Even when defenses load the box, as the Jets did in Week 7, the Panthers’ backfield has proven capable of grinding out yards and sustaining drives. And with Young sidelined and Dalton running the show, that formula becomes even more critical.
This offense can not win a shootout against Josh Allen. It has to lean on a ground attack averaging over 225 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks.
This isn’t just theory, either; we’ve seen it work.
Against Miami, they rushed for 240 yards. Against Dallas, they put together a beautiful game-winning drive, thanks again to a punishing ground game. The Panthers don’t need to reinvent the wheel to pull off an upset. They need to double down on their existing strengths.
Run the ball. Stay patient. Make Buffalo play your game.
Sure, the Bills may be more talented, deeper, and more explosive. But their biggest flaw happens to line up with Carolina’s clearest strength.
And for a struggling team still trying to find its footing, that’s more than hope. It’s a crystal clear path to an upset.