The next normal game played in Buffalo will be the first.
Two weeks ago, when the Bills hosted the Patriots on Monday Night Football, Buffalo lost despite New England attempting just three total passes, the result of blustery conditions at Highmark Stadium. Sunday was another weird one, at least for Buffalo’s opponent, the Carolina Panthers, who were thrown for a loop when Zane Gonzalez injured his quad during pre-game warmups.
As the only kicker on Carolina’s active roster, Gonzalez’s injury had the shorthanded Panthers tilting, leaving them minutes to find a solution with kickoff fast approaching at 1 PM ET. With limited resources and time not on their side, the Panthers held the equivalent of open tryouts, auditioning wide receiver Brandon Zylstra, backup quarterback P.J. Walker and punter Lachlan Edwards for the role of kicker. Watch Walker, who last kicked in high school, shake off the rust with this worm-burner on a chip-shot field goal attempt.
NFL kickers, as the Panthers discovered Sunday, don’t grow on trees. Finding a capable kicker on the fly is no small task, which is why the Panthers elected not to use one Sunday, instead keeping the offense on the field for five fourth downs, only one of which was successful. Zylstra got the nod on kickoffs, booming kicks of 50, 49 and 47 yards on his three attempts.
It’s been that kind of year for the slumping Panthers, losers of four straight and nine of their last 11 following a 3-0 start. With two of their final three games coming against the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers, any hope of the Panthers’ frustrating season ending on a high note is probably wishful thinking.
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