Buffalo Tames The Panthers, Winning 40-9

Buffalo Tames The Panthers, Winning 40-9

Coming off a much-needed bye week, the AFC East second-place Buffalo Bills take a business trip to Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to face the Carolina Panthers. Coming into the game after two straight losses against the Patriots and the Falcons, the Bills got some rest and saw the return of a few players who had not yet seen any action due to injuries or suspension.

This week's 8-matchup saw the Buffalo Bills grab an early lead thanks to Matt Prater and his reliable foot, with the hometown team kicking two field goals. The first came with xxx minutes into the first quarter, and the second with xxx minutes left in the second quarter. Beyond those scores, the Buffalo Bills struggled to maintain any real drives against the Panthers, as sacks and penalties hurt the Bills once again.

The Bills held a second-quarter 6-0 lead until Panthers kicker Sam Martin kicked a field goal to cut the lead in half. The bills didn’t take long to put more points on the board as James Cook took a handoff straight to the kitchen, scampering 64 yards for a score. This score was the longest touchdown run of the season for Cook.

James Cook was the one bright spot for the Bills in the 1st half, putting up 153 rushing yards in just two quarters.

As the second quarter looked like it was going to come to an uneventful end, Bills Linebacker AJ Epenesa read the play perfectly as he was able to get into the backfield to break up a pass, which he then caught for an interception. That led to Josh Allen running a 1-yard Quarterback sneak for a touchdown, giving Buffalo a 19-3 lead to go into the half.

The second half of football started with a bang as the Bills' offense came alive, putting up 21 points in quick succession. Josh Allen ran for his second touchdown, along with tossing a pass to Khalil Shakir for his first receiving score of the game. Plus, James Cook once again proved to the Bills and the league why he deserves a big paycheck by scoring his second rushing score of the game on his way to a career-high 216 yards rushing.

The Bills' defense, which was able to snag multiple sacks and three turnovers, held on to give the Bills a big 40-9 win over the Panthers. This game was the ninth meeting of these two teams since 1995, and Buffalo is leading the all-time series with 7 wins.

Now the Buffalo Bills look forward to a big AFC rivalry game as the Kansas City Chiefs get ready to travel to Buffalo for a big week 9 matchup.