Panthers vs. Bills: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Carolina
They may have started the game looking rusty and unprepared, but the Carolina Panthers eventually found their groove in their first preseason game of the season, coming out on top over the Buffalo Bills by the score of 25-24.
The first-team offense started out poorly, gaining only 16 yards and punting twice on its first two drives. Coach Ron Rivera opted to let his starters stay in for the first series of the second quarter, however, and they responded with a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to salvage the day for the offensive starters.
Overall, all three quarterbacks for the Panthers—Cam Newton, Derek Anderson and Joe Webb—led their respective units on scoring drives, each throwing a touchdown as the first-, second- and third-string offenses all managed to play decently against what promises to be a very difficult defense from Buffalo.
Carolina’s defense started out strongly but dropped off a bit once players like Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis sat down after only six plays. Add in the missing three defensive linemen—Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short and Charles Johnson—and the Panthers' second-team defense struggled to keep up with the Bills, who kept most of their starters in thanks to an ongoing quarterback competition.
They particularly had trouble with the shifty, mobile second-string quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. The run game was an issue, as the Bills ran for 4.6 yards per carry on their way to 206 rushing yards, mostly thanks to Bryce Brown.
Still, both units played well enough for the Panthers to have the ball with a chance to win the game with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter. It may have been the bottom of the respective rosters, but it was nice to see Webb run the two-minute drill effectively, hitting Brandon Wegher for the game-winning touchdown with just one minute remaining.
Even better, they went for two to avoid the tie. Even better than that, there were no major injuries to report, with only Teddy Williams leaving the game with a neck injury. It was a successful trip up to Buffalo.
Let’s take a closer look at Carolina’s first win of the season.
Rapid Reaction Grades
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Position | Grade |
QB | B |
RB | C- |
WR | A |
TE | C |
OL | A- |
DL | D |
LB | B+ |
DB | B |
Special Teams | B |
Coaching | A+ |
Quarterbacks: All three quarterbacks were inconsistent, but all three led the team on long scoring drives, with no turnovers. Of the three, Newton performed the best, even against Buffalo’s first-stringers—but that came after two poor drives in the first quarter.
Running Backs: With no Jonathan Stewart, no one really got traction in this one; the leading rusher was Cameron Artis-Payne with just 24 yards on eight carries. Jordan Todman’s 12-yard run was the longest of the day, and no one really got into a groove. The few positive notes were the lack of fumbles and Wegher’s 42-yard, game-winning reception.
Wide Receivers: Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess stood out, combining for five receptions, 89 yards and a touchdown. Add in Ted Ginn’s highlight-reel 38-yard catch in the second quarter, and you had a pretty impressive day from the top of the receiving corps.
Tight Ends: Not much in the way of a passing attack here. Greg Olsen had one reception for nine yards, while Marcus Lucas led the way with two catches for 36 yards. Solid, if unspectacular, results.
Offensive Line: Considering it was up against one of the toughest defenses in football, the clean sheet the offensive line put up was impressive. The O-line only allowed one sack all night, and that was more due to Joe Webb’s indecisiveness rather than particularly poor play. The Bills did hit Panthers quarterbacks six times, but it was an impressive showing from what was the biggest area of concern for the team last season.
Defensive Line: Perhaps I should have graded more on a curve considering the absences of Charles Johnson, Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei, but giving up 206 yards on the ground is not a good day, and the pass rush was more or less nonexistent.
Linebackers: Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly played only six snaps each, and Shaq Thompson didn’t suit up at all, but the reserve linebackers had a fairly solid, workmanlike day even without them. Adarius Glanton led the way with 10 tackles, and A.J. Klein had seven of his own.
Defensive Backs: They limited the Bills to just 171 yards receiving, which is a pretty solid day. They got caught napping a couple of times—once each on long passes to Marquise Goodwin and Deonte Thompson—but they mostly kept things underneath and in control. Dean Marlowe’s fourth-quarter interception sealed the game.
Special Teams: Graham Gano made a 47-yard field goal, Damiere Byrd looked solid with some burst on punt returns and the kickoff unit kept things mostly in front of it as well, catching Deonte Thompson before he could turn on the jets on their longest return. The weak point was the punting unit—Brad Nortman shanked a couple of punts, and it allowed Marcus Thigpen a pair of 19-yard returns. That’s an area the Panthers need to tighten up.
Coaching: Letting Newton and the first-string offense go back onto the field to get some rhythm going worked out perfectly for Ron Rivera and staff. Also, any time you go for two points to avoid a meaningless preseason overtime, you get an automatic A+.
Cam Newton Shakes off the Rust
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Had the Panthers stuck to their original plan and removed Newton and the starting offense after the first quarter, there’d be a different vibe to the game, even if you don’t end up changing the final score.
After one quarter, Newton had completed just one pass on six attempts for 15 yards. Some of it was due to mild pressure, but he simply overthrew a pass to an open Corey Brown—a missed opportunity.
Coach Rivera wisely called an audible, however, and kept Newton and company out for one more drive, and it paid off. Against most of Buffalo’s starting defense, Newton went 4-of-4 for 68 yards on that final drive, including the touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin and a 38-yard bomb to Ted Ginn.
Had the first-stringers left after a failed offensive showing, we would have a week of hand-wringing and concern leading up to next week’s game against the Miami Dolphins. Instead, fans can breathe a sigh of relief—their newly minted $100 million quarterback hasn’t abruptly forgotten how to play football between the end of last season and the start of this one.
It should also be noted that the first-string offense was without perhaps its most important cog in Jonathan Stewart, who was held out simply for precautionary reasons. None of the Panthers’ running backs could get anything going during this game, with the team putting up only 73 yards on the ground. That left Newton and the passing game to pretty much go at it alone, and they finally woke up in the second quarter.
The Defensive Line Disappointed
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With no Greg Hardy, no Charles Johnson, no Kawann Short and no Star Lotulelei, there was an opportunity for reserves and backups to step into the limelight and make a splash in the preseason opener.
Instead, the defensive line struggled. The lack of Short and Lotulelei basically bumped all the interior linemen up one notch on the depth chart, and the Bills took advantage early and often in the running game.
The Bills had 206 yards rushing on the day, primarily from their second team. Bryce Brown, pressed into service thanks to injuries to Fred Jackson and Boobie Dixon, rushed six times for 52 yards and a touchdown, and Tyrod Taylor, on a number of run-pass options, regularly slipped around the edge, picking up 47 yards of his own.
The pass rush was also spotty at best, with both Kony Ealy and Frank Alexander not making much of an impact as they battled out for the starting defensive end slot. Both started—and Ealy was still on the field well into the third quarter—and both failed to do much. Alexander got one hit on the quarterback, which is more than Ealy can say (he doesn’t even register on the official scoresheet).
I suppose that’s advantage Alexander? More to the point, it’s something that will have to be improved in the upcoming weeks, though the return of the rest of the defensive line’s starters can only help.
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Rookie Report
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It’s always good to see how the rookies do in their first taste of NFL action, and in this case, there were some highlights and lowlights.
First-round pick Shaq Thompson didn’t even make it onto the field. He warmed up at pregame, but since he’s still coming back slowly from a hamstring injury, the team opted not to risk him on the field. This was probably a good decision in the long run, but it was disappointing not seeing what he can do.
Devin Funchess only caught two passes, but he was the team’s leading receiver with 53 yards. He had an incredible grab early in the third quarter from Derek Anderson, battling against fellow second-round pick Ronald Darby. Both of the young, tall receivers—Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin—looked good.
Daryl Williams played well in his first game. Other than a poor block on a play that saw a Joe Webb pass get batted down, he was excellent in pass protection, which was the bigger question about his skill set when he was taken in the fourth round. I didn’t count a single pressure given up by him, though I’ll have to go back and watch the tape again to double-check that. Not noticing an offensive lineman is generally a good thing.
David Mayo played a lot and had a few tackles to his name, but he didn’t particularly stand out, for good or for ill. That’s not bad for a fifth-round pick, though it’s nothing to write home about.
Cameron Artis-Payne led the team in rushing yards with 24, but it took him eight carries to get there (3.0 yards per carry). The Panthers as a team struggled to get anything going on the ground with Jonathan Stewart not playing, and Artis-Payne had a lower YPC than any back except Fozzy Whittaker.
The best of the UDFAs was Damiere Byrd, who had three receptions for 22 yards and lined up for some punt returns as well. Nothing that will clinch him a spot on the roster, but some promising signs there.
Funchess was the clear rookie highlight, and Williams was right behind him.
Ron Rivera Disappointed in the Second- and Third-Quarter Defensive Performance
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In his postgame press conference, as captured by Black and Blue Review, Ron Rivera expressed his dismay at what the team’s second-string defense was able to produce.
“Real disappointed with what happened in the second quarter, third quarter with our defense," Rivera said. "To me, that was unacceptable, and it really upset me. That bothers me.”
The Panthers struggled to contain the Bills when Tyrod Taylor entered the game at quarterback. Taylor was 5-of-8 passing for 49 yards, all in the second quarter, adding 37 yards rushing to boot. The Bills offense was on the field for more than 10 minutes in the second, earning 125 net yards on its way to two touchdowns. It was the worst defensive quarter by a significant margin.
The Panthers were without their starting defensive line, forcing their depth to play a bit longer than hoped. Still, the relatively off performance of the backups shows how important the starters are to what is a great defense.
There’s a lot of talent in the starting 11, but the depth behind them is questionable, especially on the line and in the secondary.
Kelvin Benjamin Is Excited
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Benjamin was matched up against a really solid cornerback in Stephon Gilmore, and he had a strong performance. He not only had three receptions for 36 yards, including a jump-ball touchdown, but he also drew a long pass interference penalty. It’s what you want out of your top receiver.
What you don’t want, however, is the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Benjamin drew after one reception, spinning the ball in the defender’s face after absorbing a major blow.
“The reason I got that first penalty was because I was a little too hype,” Benjamin explained to the News and Observer.
He continued, according to the Charlotte Observer: “We wanted to come out and get that train going out there. Might’ve been (because it was) our first game, I feel like we came out a little slow as an offense. But we picked it up. So that’s the good note to end on.”
Overall, yes, Benjamin’s performance was a good one, and the first-team offense coming back on the field to have one solid drive was a big deal. It’s hard to blame him too much for spinning the football after his first big play; it was a major completion through traffic in the first real football game he’s gotten to play in since January, after months of minicamp and training camp.
Benjamin needs to dial that enthusiasm down just a tad for the regular season, but the Panthers will take his receiving performance—including drawing the pass interference—any day. It was a strong sophomore debut for Benjamin, and it's what the team needs out of its top receiver in 2015.
Bryan Knowles is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.
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