NFL

Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills

· National Football League
1-2, 1-1 Away
Final
31 - 26
1-2, 0-2 Home

Bryce Young oversees opening-drive TD in brief preseason debut, and Panthers beat Bills 31-26

All it took to reassure the coach his quarterback was ready, was watching Young cap a 12-play, 85-yard opening drive Jordan Matthews in Carolina’s 31-26 win.

“Oh, it was great, right? Couldn’t have dreamt it better,” Canales said, before referencing other key offensive players such as receivers Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen. “Bryce looked sharp. Diontae and Adam looked great. I don’t want to go through the whole list. But anyway, the first group, I loved seeing them out there today.”

Just as important, the 2023 top overall pick showed how much he’s grasped his first-year coach’s new offensive system while getting the opportunity to deal with various challenges in a competitive setting.

Young converted a fourth-and-3 by bolting to his left and completing a 17-yard pass to Johnson on the run. On the next snap, a play-action fake led to Young hitting Thielen over the middle for a 21-yard gain. And the touchdown pass came on third down following two incompletions, with Young waiting in the pocket before Matthews came open over the middle of the field.

“I thought it was invaluable, something that we’ve got to continue to build off and carry into the future,” Young said. “There’s practice but being able to have that in a game and there being consequences to it, I think it was great for us as an offense to be put in a situation and for us to overcome it.”

The Bills rested all of their starters to avoid risking further injury to an already limping team. Starting linebacker Matt Milano (torn left biceps) will miss at least two months, while receivers Curtis Samuel (turf toe) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky (knee) are listed week to week.

More injuries muddied the competition for Buffalo’s final roster spots, particularly at running back, with NFL teams having to set their 53-player rosters by Tuesday.

Darrynton Evans scored Buffalo’s first touchdown of the preseason with an 18-yard catch, but had to leave the game with an ankle injury. Frank Gore Jr. had 101 yards rushing, including a 5-yard touchdown run, but left the game late with a knee injury.

The Bills were so short on running backs, receiver/returner K.J. Hamler closed the game in the backfield and scored on a 1-yard run with 1:57 remaining.

Coach Sean McDermott did not have an immediate update on his injured players.

Another issue to crop up was kicker Tyler Bass missing a 51-yard field-goal attempt — he was good from 31 yards — in carrying over inconsistencies he’s had in practice.

“Those are ones he’s got to make. He knows that,” McDermott said. “It’s a kick he’s going to practice a million times this week, but yeah, he’s got to have it.”

Otherwise, much of the focus was on Young, who provided a spark to a Panthers team coming off a league-worst 2-15 finish and an offense that ranked among the NFL’s worst in several categories last season.

“I thought he did a pretty good job, not letting the pocket collapsing rattle him,” said Johnson, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh. “Those little things that we work on in practice obviously showed on that drive. So we just got to keep the consistency going, and the offense is going to be fine."

Quarterbacks Bills starter Josh Allen was excused by the team for personal reasons a week after his maternal grandfather Vaughn Von Allman died after a lengthy illness.

Canales decided to rest primary backup Andy Dalton, noting the veteran had a good week in practice coming off a quadriceps injury, and also wanted to see more from Plummer, who finished 21 of 29 for 278 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall and a 36-yarder to Jalen Coker to open the fourth quarter.

Up next Panthers: Open regular season at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 8.

Bills: Open regular season hosting the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 8.

How can I watch Panthers vs. Bills?

  • TV Channel: Panthers at Bills 2021-22 NFL, week 4 is broadcasted nationally on .
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    In Canada, viewers can watch Panthers vs. Bills on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

CAR TD 1st Period 8:12 Jordan Matthews 8 Yd pass from Bryce Young (Eddy Pineiro Kick)
BUF FG 1st Period 0:53 Tyler Bass 31 Yd Field Goal
BUF TD 2nd Period 5:53 Darrynton Evans 18 Yd pass from Ben DiNucci (Ben DiNucci Pass to Tre' McKitty for Two-Point Conversion)
CAR TD 2nd Period 2:55 Mike Boone 5 Yd Run (Eddy Pineiro Kick)
CAR FG 2nd Period 0:00 Eddy Pineiro 45 Yd Field Goal
CAR TD 3rd Period 7:01 Terrace Marshall Jr. 15 Yd pass from Jack Plummer (Jack Plummer Pass to David Moore for Two-Point Conversion)
BUF TD 3rd Period 2:30 Frank Gore Jr. 5 Yd Run (Anthony Brown Jr. Pass to Xavier Johnson for Two-Point Conversion)
CAR TD 4th Period 14:54 Jalen Coker 36 Yd pass from Jack Plummer (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
BUF TD 4th Period 1:57 KJ Hamler 1 Yd Run (Tyler Bass Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/car.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCAR https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF
22 1st Downs 21
17 Passing 1st downs 8
5 Rushing 1st downs 13
0 1st downs from penalties 0
8-13 3rd down efficiency 7-12
2-4 4th down efficiency 0-0
65 Total Plays 57
414 Total Yards 320
6.4 Yards per Play 5.6
9 Total Drives 8
340 Passing 156
27/37 Comp/Att 22/27
8.7 Yards per pass 5.2
0 Interceptions thrown 0
2-8 Sacks-Yards Lost 3-22
74 Rushing 164
26 Rushing Attempts 27
2.8 Yards per rush 6.1
3-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 3-4
5-21 Penalties 3-20
0 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
29:20 Possession 30:40

Game Information

Highmark Stadium

Location: Orchard Park, NY
Attendance: 69,797 · Capacity:

2024 NFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Atlanta 8 7 .533 0 327 349
Tampa Bay 8 7 .533 0 427 352
New Orleans 5 10 .333 0 309 346
Carolina 4 11 .267 0 283 448

2024 AFC East Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Buffalo 12 3 .800 0 469 331
Miami 7 8 .467 0 305 329
New York 4 11 .267 0 292 344
New England 3 12 .200 0 259 361
Full Standings

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