The Bills Blog

The Buffalo Bills defeat the Carolina Panthers 40-9 in a much needed bounce back win.

After two dreadful losses in weeks 5 and 6, the Bills took a step in the right direction on Sunday and got back in the win column after 3 long weeks.

The Bills found success on Sunday by going back to their roots, they won the game in the trenches and played their brand of complimentary football. The Bills were able to establish their presence on the ground early thanks to a reset offensive line and a career day from RB James Cook.

Buffalo’s offense looked refreshed and revived in Carolina. The offensive line led the way, blocking effectively in both the running and passing game. James Cook took advantage of gaping holes and rattled off big gains on seemingly every carry. He made impressive cuts in space and found the endzone after breaking lose for a 64 yard score. He didn’t stop there though, and found paydirt again in the 3rd quarter for a 21 yard score. His performance was nothing short of spectacular and he finished the game with 216 yards and 2 TDs on 19 carries. He averaged 11.4 YPC and set a new career single game record for rushing yards.

Defensively, the Bills made adjustments. At times, they still struggled to stop the run but they limited big gains that have plagued them in the past. The Bills also welcomed some new faces in week 8. Rookie first round pick Maxwell Hairston made his season debut after being elevated off of IR. Additionally, DE Michael Hoecht and DT Larry Ogunjobi played their first snaps of the year after serving their respective suspensions for PED use. Veteran safety Jordan Poyer also got back in the mix as he subbed in for the injured Taylor Rapp. The Bills D-line finally got after the QB and recorded 7 sacks. The secondary looked better in coverage overall, yet still had some questionable mistakes in obvious passing scenarios and on 3rd downs. The key to the Bills success defensively came from 3 timely takeaways. The Bills recovered 2 fumbles and DE AJ Epenesa snagged an impressive interception, even returning it down the 1 yard line to give the Bills an easy score.

Josh Allen played better on Sunday. However, thanks to the success of his teammates he didn’t need to be Superman or anything close. He posted a rather mundane stat line completing 63 percent of his throws for 166 yards one TD and 2 Rushing TDs. He made some nice throws to keep drives alive and did what was needed of him to keep his unit marching downfield.

Overall the Bills looked much better and more complete in week 8. A sign Bills fans are relieved to see. It will be interesting to see how they respond to one of their biggest challenges of the season. The Bills face Kansas City at home in week 9 and will look to build off their win in Carolina as they return home to face a red hot Chiefs team.