The Buffalo Bills overcame a slow start and have held the Carolina Panthers at bay, keeping a 17-8 lead at halftime.
Josh Allen started the afternoon on shaky footing, maybe adjusting to his sore foot and the shuffled offensive line in front of him. He missed a couple easy throws and took an early sack. But his receivers started adjusting to high throws, especially Dawson Knox and Stefon Diggs, and Devin Singletary contributed some clutch running and his third touchdown of the year. Although Allen had an interception and fumbled the ball in this game, he was efficient on most of his plays, and Buffalo scored 17 points as a result.
On defense, the Bills benefit from knowing that the Panthers functionally can’t kick the ball today. Zane Gonzalez injured his quad in pregame warmups, forcing Carolina to take an unusual amount of chances on fourth down. Add in Cam Newton’s poor passing, and the Bills’ defense held the Panthers scoreless for most of the half. After Allen’s interception gave the Panthers a possession in Bills territory, a tricky running play to Robby Anderson gained 30 and set them up at the goal line. A couple plays later, Newton ran in the touchdown and D.J. Moore made an outstanding catch on the two-point conversion.
The Bills deferred to start the game, so they’ll take the opening kickoff of the second half. If they hold serve, they’ll come away with the win and set up an AFC East showdown with the New England Patriots next weekend. Here’s your open thread for the rest of the afternoon. Go Bills!
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