The Carolina Panthers spent the first half against the Buffalo Bills looking every bit like a team still trying to close the gap.
Carolina left its first-team offense on the field for three series, while Buffalo used two series for Josh Allen and the Bills’ starters. The difference was obvious. The Panthers were overwhelmed, and it showed up across the board.
The defense had one bright spot: the pass rush. Beyond that, it was a rough watch. Devin Lloyd was the only linebacker who consistently stood out, and the secondary had trouble covering both first- and second-team Bills players.
That kind of outing is bound to set off alarm bells with the fan base, but there’s a bigger point worth keeping in mind. This is preseason, and Buffalo is operating from a completely different place.
Jake Delhomme put it plainly, noting that the Bills have had a strong, Super Bowl-caliber roster for the better part of the last 5-6 years. Jared Feinberg shared that thought online as well.
Buffalo has been built into a playoff and Super Bowl-level team over more than half a decade. Carolina, by contrast, is still in the early stages of building itself into that kind of organization.
That gap matters even more when key players sit. The Panthers were without Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis on offense, and the backup guards were overmatched by Buffalo’s starters and even by some of its reserves.
On defense, when Derrick Brown was out, Carolina’s backup defenders couldn’t slow down James Cook and Ray Davis. And once the Bills started rotating in more depth, the talent difference still remained.
That’s the reality of where these teams are right now. The Panthers only recently began recovering from the damage of the Bryce Young trade, so their depth still isn’t where it needs to be. Buffalo has spent years building a roster that can absorb absences without falling apart.
It also helps explain why this kind of result feels bigger than it should. Carolina did make the playoffs last year, but they got there after an eight-year drought, and they finished 8-0?
No - they won eight games and were -69 on the season. In another division, that would have looked like a middling year, not a playoff team.
So yes, the Panthers need to play better. But the context matters.
It’s preseason, the team is still sorting through kinks, and this stage is as much about reps for backups and roster hopefuls as it is about the scoreboard. The starters need work too, but winning is not the whole point here.
In Other News...
Panthers Starting Defense Just Got An Early Reality Check
The first live look at Carolinas starting defense did not come with much of a soft landing. In its preseason opener, Buffalo moved the ball efficiently against the Panthers first unit, with Josh Allen finding a rhythm early and the Bills offense looking sharp enough to make the short stint on the field feel longer than it was. DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir each helped tilt the action with meaningful yardage, while James Cook added a steady dose on the ground.
For a defense still setting its tone for the season, the result served as an early reminder that the margin for error is thin once real game speed shows up. Preseason reps are about evaluation as much as outcomes, but the Panthers did get a clear snapshot of where the starting group stood against one of the leagues toughest quarterbacks and a well-organized offense. What matters next is how quickly Carolina can clean up the issues before the competition gets more serious. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Preseason Opener Raised Big Questions And A Few Real Reasons For Hope
The first preseason game offered a sharp early look at where the Panthers stand, and it was a mixed one. Carolina lost to Buffalo, but there were a few encouraging signs on defense, where Jaelan Phillips and Princely Umanmielen stood out as pass rushers and Devin Lloyd made his presence felt as well. Even with starters on the field, the secondary had trouble holding up, and the night had the kind of sloppiness that tends to follow a team still sorting out its identity.
There was some useful evidence on the offensive side, too, where Kenny Pickett helped himself in the quarterback battle with a solid showing. Trevor Etienne also added value with his work as a receiver, giving the Panthers another reason to think he can stick on the roster. Still, the bigger takeaway from the opener may have been how long the staff left key players in the game despite the uneven performance, a reminder that the evaluation period is already revealing both hope and some uncomfortable questions. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Is Giving Panthers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Bryce Young has given the Panthers a different kind of buzz at training camp, not with a viral highlight or a bold prediction, but with a steadier presence thats been noticeable on the field. Reports from camp have him operating with more confidence and command of the offense, the sort of progress Carolina has been waiting to see as it tries to build around a former No. 1 pick who still has plenty to prove.
For the Panthers, the encouraging part is less about any one practice and more about the feeling that Young is settling into the job the way a franchise quarterback should. He has stayed focused on the present and has not weighed in on his contract status, which keeps the attention where Carolina wants it for now: on whether this version of Young can keep growing into the player the team needs. [Read more 🡒]