Panthers' Starters Sputter as Bills Roll to 29-14 Preseason Win

Carolina came into Orchard Park riding high off a thrilling 33-30 win over Arizona in the Hall of Fame Game. That momentum didn't carry over. In their second preseason contest, the Panthers fell 29-14 to the Buffalo Bills, and this time it was the starters — not the backups — who struggled to find any rhythm.

Bryce Young and the Starters Never Got Going

Bryce Young, making his preseason debut after sitting out the opener, looked out of sync from the jump. He finished the first half just 3-of-5 for 18 yards before giving way to the rest of Carolina's quarterback room. It was a quiet, uninspiring showing from the guy Carolina needs to take a step forward this season, and it set the tone for an offense that couldn't find any traction against Buffalo's defense.

Buffalo, meanwhile, wasted no time asserting control. The Bills — breaking in new head coach Joe Brady and christening their new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium — jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and never let up, going up 13-0 before Carolina finally got on the board.

A Late Flurry Couldn't Erase the Deficit

Carolina did have a few bright spots. Kenny Pickett settled in as the game progressed, going 16-of-19 for 92 yards, and newly signed quarterback Kyle Trask capped the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie III in the closing seconds to make the final 29-14. But by then Buffalo had already piled up touchdowns and a field goal across three quarters, including late scores on the ground from Ian Wheeler and Frank Gore Jr. that put the game out of reach.

Defensively, Carolina had moments — the front got pressure on Josh Allen and forced a field-goal attempt Buffalo's Tyler Bass missed wide right — but it wasn't nearly enough to offset a sluggish offensive performance from the players who matter most.

What's Next

The loss drops Carolina to a mixed 1-1 in the preseason, and the bigger concern is how flat the first-team offense looked in its first real test of the summer. The Panthers stay on the road next Friday, August 21, to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. ET — a good opportunity for Young and the starters to show Saturday's performance was just an early-summer hiccup and not a sign of things to come.