Buffalo Bills vs Carolina Panthers: The good, the bad and the ugly

Buffalo Bills supporters – along with fans around the rest of the NFL – are smart enough to realise the preseason often isn’t a true indicator of how a campaign is going to pan out. However, this year is more important than usual for the Bills.

Three Stars:

1) Tyrod Taylor:

All three quarterbacks impressed during their stints against the Panthers. However, for me, Taylor (just) had the best outing.

The 26-year old showed why analysts are calling him the “X-Factor”, making plays with both his arm and his legs. Perhaps best showcasing his talent, was a play during the second quarter, when he escaped a certain sack, and then rolled out to his left to complete a 13 yard pass to Karlos Williams.

2) Bryce Brown:

Talking of Williams, he showed why he had moved up the depth chart, with some nice runs. However, it was Bryce Brown who impressed me more, making him the second star of the night.

With 52 yards (and a touchdown) on the ground, Brown led all rushers in the game. Of course, he still has to prove he can do a better job of holding onto the rock, but he showed what he is capable of against the Panthers.

3) John Miller:

It’s fair to say the Bills offensive line had a torrid time last season. This is why they used a third round pick in this year’s draft, to select Miller.

The rookie impressed during rookie camp and has continued to improve during the last few weeks, leading to his starting the game against the Panthers. He didn’t let anyone down, as he showed off his excellent mobility and held his own.

Tough day at the office:

1) Ronald Darby:

Wow, talk about a baptism of fire. The Panthers made sure they went after Darby often, looking to exploit his lack of height and just the fact that he’s a rookie – at one point, they threw at him four straight times to start the second half.

Two long passes in particular stood out; a 38 yard catch by veteran Ted Ginn and a 34-yard effort by rookie Devin Funchess. On the positive side, everyone knows Darby will be tested a lot this season, so the more he gets targeted during the preseason, it improves his opportunity to develop and gain experience.

2) Dropped passes:

This is more of a team “effort”, with the quarterbacks having to deal with seven drops by various receivers. Matt Cassel would have been a perfect eight-for-eight, if it wasn’t for a failed catch by Chris Hogan, although it was Manuel who suffered most from untimely drops.

Of course, as with Darby, preseason is all about ironing out any kinks. Everyone is still shaking off the rust, with three more games to get back into the groove before the regular season begins.

3) Alex Kupper:

In some respects, offensive linemen often get a raw deal. A lot of the time they don’t get noticed when they play well, and yet stand out like a sore thumb when they make any mistake.

Regardless, Alex Kupper is “worthy” of being mentioned in this section, with back-to-back bad snaps ensuring a three-and-out for Manuel on his first drive of the game. In fact, along with the drops, the third-year quarterback may well have to channel his inner Jerry Maguire: “Help me, help you”.

Play of the game:

There were several plays that stood out during the evening, including Aaron Williams‘ open field tackle on running back Fozzy Whittaker during the first quarter. Another one was Marquise Goodwin‘s 29-yard catch and run effort in the second, which perfectly highlighted his potential.

However, there was really only one contender when it came to play of the game; EJ Manuel‘s 51-yard bomb to Deonte Thompson:

Turning point of the game:

It has to be the Panthers 11 play, 80-yard touchdown drive to start the second half. Led by wily veteran Derek Anderson, Carolina skillfully manoeuvred their way down the field, to take their first lead of the night on a 12-yard reception by Brenton Bersin.

What we learned:

What we learned was that Buffalo should have won this game. They were in control for most of the night, with more yards (including 206 on the ground), a higher third down conversion rate and a significantly better time of possession.

As we’ve said once or twice in this article, it’s just the preseason. However, if the Bills can continue to control these three aspects of the game moving forward, they’re going to win a lot more than they lose this season.

What needs to be answered:

Of course, even if the Bills do have some success with the above factors, they’re still going to need someone to step up and grab the starting quarterback job. In that respect, after last night we’re still no closer to knowing who is the best option.

However, whereas that was a negative during training camp, it turned into a positive against the Panthers, with all three showing glimpses of what they can do. Certainly, Bills fans will continue to have more interest in the preseason than usual, as the team attempts to determine who will start under center in the home opener.

Next: Bills quarterbacks overachieve in first test

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