Charlotte, N.C. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills returned to form on Sunday out of the bye week, as they managed to best the Carolina Panthers, 40-9, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
The Panthers opened the contest with the football, where quarterback Andy Dalton was snuffed out right away by the Bills defense. Ed Oliver was able to break through at the line of scrimmage on third down to force a punt with a big sack.
Josh Allen and the Bills offense carved their way right down the field on their opening drive, led by runs from running back James Cook and a couple of connections with wide receiver Khalil Shakir.
However, Buffalo's drive stalled as they approached the Carolina red zone, resulting in a 45-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater to open the scoring.
The Bills were able to steal possession back on Carolina's next drive, as defensive end Greg Rousseau forced a fumble of Dalton as he took off. Cornerback Christian Benford ended up gathering the loose change and setting up the Bills to score once again.
Cook got the drive started with a big 24-yard run, followed by Allen finding his stride with a 23-yard connection with tight end Dalton Kincaid.
After making it into the Panthers' red zone this time, the drive soon sputtered out with a couple of penalties, followed by a costly third-down sack taken by Allen. Despite that, the Bills tacked on another three points thanks to a 43-yard field goal. from Prater.
Carolina responded on its next drive, getting three points on the scoreboard with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Ryan Fitzgerald to cut the deficit in half.
It only took three plays on Buffalo's next drive to find the end zone for the first time on Sunday.
While at their own 36-yard line, Cook was able to explode through a hole up the middle and take a 64-yard run all the way to the house for a Bills touchdown. After a missed extra point from Prater, the Bills led Carolina, 12-3, with 7:23 to go in the first half.
After each team exchanged punts, the Buffalo defense was able to swing the tide of the contest just inside the two-minute warning.
As Dalton faced some oncoming pressure, he tried to throw a pass over the head of pass rusher A.J. Epenesa, the the veteran was able to come up with the interception and make a break for the end zone before being wrapped up at the Panthers' 1-yard line.
On the very next play, the Bills extended the lead to 19-3 thanks to a 1-yard quarterback keeper from Allen.
The Panthers still had enough time to respond with points before halftime, but a key third-down sack by Rousseau at the Buffalo 4-yard line forced Carolina to scramble its field goal unit on the field with no timeouts and being fourth down.
Carolina was able to get a 32-yard field goal attempt off in time, but the kick from Fitzgerald ended up missing wide to the left.
The Bills received the second half kickoff, and it only took four plays for them to blow the game wide-open.
Facing a 2nd-and-7 at their own 46-yard line, Allen managed to find Shakir for a short 4-yard pass, only for the slick wide receiver to break free for a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
After forcing a Carolina punt on their opening drive of the half, Buffalo was able to pile more points on the board thanks to the running prowess of Cook.
Cook continued to churn through the Panthers defense with some chunk-yardage runs, and on his fifth touch of the drive, he found another hole up the middle for a 21-yard score and a 33-3 lead for the Bills.
On the very first play of Carolina's next offensive drive, Dalton coughed up the ball again, giving the Bills prime field position to tack on more points. This time, it was edge rusher Michael Hoecht - playing in his first game of the season - that was able to knock the ball loose, leading to rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker jumping on it to steal another possession.
The offense was able to capitalize once again just six plays later, as Allen found the end zone on another 1-yard rush to extend the lead to 37 points.
The Panthers were finally able to put their first touchdown of the game on the board, although it was too little, too late. Running back Chubba Hubbard managed to find his way into the end zone on a 3-yard rush. A missed extra point from Fitzpatrick only helped Carolina cut into the deficit to 40-9.
With the game in tow and more than 10-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation, the Bills pulled their starters from the contest, which included Allen and other notable players on the offense and defense.
The rest of the fourth quarter saw both teams exchange punts, as time managed to tick away on Buffalo's fifth win of the season, and first win since Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints in Orchard Park.
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SCORING RECAP
First Quarter:
- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (7:14) - Matt Prater's 45 yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 11 plays, 49 yards, 5:31
Second Quarter:
- 6-0 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (13:03) - Matt Prater's 43-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:37
- 6-3 BUFFALO: Panthers Field Goal (8:58) - Ryan Fitzgerald's 48-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 9 plays, 35 yards, 4:05
- 12-3 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (7:23) - James Cook breaks free up the middle for a 64-yard touchdown run. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is no good)
Drive info: 3 plays, 77 yards, 1:35
- 19-3 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (1:50) - Josh Allen punches it up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:02
Third Quarter:
- 26-3 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (12:18) - Josh Allen passes short to Khalil Shakir, who then takes off for a 54-yard touchdown. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:42
- 33-3 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (4:59) - James Cook rushes up the middle for a 21-yard touchdown run. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 9 plays, 88 yards, 5:12
- 40-3 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (1:19) - Josh Allen goes up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:22
Fourth Quarter:
- 40-9 BUFFALO: Panthers Touchdown (10:33) - Chubba Hubbard rushes for a 3-yard touchdown run. (Ryan Fitzgerald's extra point attempt is no good)
Drive info: 13 plays, 67 yards, 5:46
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills return to Highmark Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.