What to watch for - Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers

As the Buffalo Bills limp into their final preseason matchup, there are a lot of problems to address. Fans enter the 2024 season with more questions than they've had in a long time, but no answers are available. Sean McDermott has openly stated that the team will be benching their starters due to injury considerations, despite the original plan being to play them to prepare for the season. Things seem bleak. Still, the game must be played, and the Bills will do their best to put a playable game on the field against Carolina. It won't be pretty, but it will be Buffalo football. You may be asking 'Why watch it at all?'. Good question.

The Riveting Battle For QB3

Urgently, the Bills had to sign a quarterback to the roster to play. It was a desperate, last-minute scramble. Luckily, in the mold of our own scrambler, the team picked up former Ravens QB Anthony Brown. It was as good a signing as they could expect, on short notice and with no starting competition. Still, there's meaning to the play on the field. The QB room will be comprised of two passers, Brown and Ben DiNucci.

After the losses of both Shane Buchele (long-term) and Mitch Trubisky (short-term), Buffalo needs a body. These two may we be all they have if Trubisky misses any of the regular season. Who gets the nod as the practice squad QB? Who gets the backup role on the 53-man roster if Mitch isn't ready to go? It'll almost definitely be handoff-after-handoff against Carolina, as neither playable QB will know much of the playbook, or have built any chemistry with their receivers. Still, there's an opportunity to those who are low enough in the barrel to find it.

Can He Kick It?

The answer used to be 'Yes, he can', but recently we're not so sure. The epic battle between Tyler Bass and a made field goal has been raging on for about a year now, and the lines drawn in the sand are yet to be crossed within the posts. Serious doubts are borne of his inability to string together successful kicks in low-pressure scenarios this entire training camp. We're unsure why one of the best kickers in the league just two seasons ago has got such a drastic case of 'the yips', but here we are. The Buffalo Bills need better.

The starters may be benched, but Tyler Bass needs these reps as much as anyone else on the roster. With no kicking competition, and no game on the line, this is his last chance to get right before the season begins. He'll be the kicker no matter what, but his future is quickly cast into shadow. Have a good day this weekend and maybe he'll earn the fan's confidence again, or even his own.

Where Does Confidence Lie?

The final point is perhaps the most serious one. The last bit of consequential evidence before the final roster is cut to 53 men. Who plays early, and who plays late? The Buffalo Bills won't be playing this game to win, even if they had everyone healthy. With no starters out there, we'll get an early look at the players they are most considering for primary backup and rotational roles.

Not everything can be read into, mind you. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is injured, so Tyrell Shavers getting the earliest reps at WR doesn't mean he's making the team over him. What does matter is who plays amongst the expected rostered players and who is left out to dry in the late fourth quarter. If not to determine their roster status, we'll at least be able to piece together a viable practice squad group from those most beloved of camp crushes.