Bills best Panthers in first preseason outing

Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - While it was preseason action, the Buffalo Bills returned to football action in a big way on Saturday with a 29-14 win over the Carolina Panthers at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

The Bills' starters were on the field in the opening preseason game, as were much of the Panthers' starters on both sides of the football to start the first quarter.

It was the Buffalo offense taking the field first after electing to receive the opening kickoff, and it was a quick start for Josh Allen and company. The Bills' starting quarterback was able to hit wide receivers Khalil Shakir and newcomer D.J. Moore for big gains on the first drive.

However, the offense was ultimately were held short, forcing a 33-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass to get the Bills on the board first. It was the first time Bass had his named called for field goal duties in about a year after missing all of last season with hip and groin issues.

Defensively, the Bills shut down the Panthers in the early goings, with Carolina going three-and-out with starting quarterback Bryce Young on the field.

On Buffalo's next offensive drive, Allen led the unit 80 yards down the field in eight plays, capped off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman for the first (preseason) touchdown at Highmark Stadium.

On the second drive, there was a bit of a slight injury concern for Buffalo, as Moore had to be looked at by trainers on the sidelines after getting his foot caught up under a Panthers tackler after a catch. The good news, though, is Moore was reportedly walking around and chatting with teammates and staff members after the fact.

That scoring drive marked the end of the day for a number of the starters on offense, including Allen and Moore.

The defense continued to stifle anything the Panthers were throwing at it, as they forced another three-and-out after linebacker Terrel Bernard batted down a third-down pass attempt at the line of scrimmage.

Kyle Allen took over the offense under center and took the next Buffalo drive into the second quarter, starting with a 4th-and-3 play that saw Allen finding Coleman for a 6-yard gain.

The drive stalled at the Carolina 26-yard line, but the Bills came away with nothing to show for it, as Bass pushed a field goal attempt from 45 yards out wide right.

After another big defensive stop for the Bills that included a Deone Walker sack and another three-and-out of the Panthers' starting offense, the Bills got back into scoring position once again, and managed to tack on three more points thanks to a Bass field goal, this time hitting from 46 yards out to extend the lead to 13-0.

After that, both teams sat many of the starters on both sides of the ball on the bench.

Kenny Pickett checked in at quarterback for the Panthers, and went on to lead a 10-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to bring the score to 13-7.

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the half, Allen and the Buffalo offense tried getting back into scoring position, but ultimately came up short before heading to the locker room for halftime.

It was an uneventful third quarter, to say the least, as the Panthers chewed eight minutes off the clock on their opening drive, only to come away empty handed. Carolina ended up getting as far as the Bills' 19-yard line before a fourth-down pass from Pickett ended up being batted down by Buffalo's fifth-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, safety Jalon Kilgore.

The second half was Shane Buechele's opportunity to run the Buffalo offense under center, and he made the most of his opening drive by getting back into scoring territory to set up Bass for a 29-yard field goal with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

After forcing another Panthers turnover on downs a few minutes into the fourth quarter, the Bills offense was able to put a touchdown on the board for the first time since the opening quarter of play. This time, it was running back Ian Wheeler - signed out of the UFL this offseason - running it up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown.

The Bills did attempt a two-point conversion, but we’re unable to convert, resulting in a 22-7 lead with just under nine minutes left in the game.

Needing a quick response to stay in the game, Panthers quarterback Kyle Trask ended up tossing an interception, as his pass intended for running back Miles Davis was picked off by Bills undrafted free agent signing Kani Walker.

Three plays later, the Bills were back in the end zone, as Frank Gore Jr. punched it in from three yards out to make it a 29-7 game with 4:33 to go in regulation.

In the final minutes, the Panthers were able to score once more with a Trask touchdown pass to wide receiver John Metchie III from nine yards out, but it ultimately did not matter in Buffalo's 29-14 win.

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SCORING RECAP

First Quarter:

- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (11:22) - Tyler Bass' 33-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 54 yard, 3:38

- 10-0 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (5:12) - Josh Allen rolls out and connects with Keon Coleman for a 9-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:37

Second Quarter:

- 13-0 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (3:22) - Tyler Bass' 46-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 11 plays, 50 yards, 7:00

- 13-7 BUFFALO: Panthers Touchdown (0:29) - Kenny Pickett connects with Ja'seem Reed for a 6-yard touchdown pass. (Ryan Fitzgerald's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 83 yards, 2:53

Third Quarter:

- 16-7 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (1:29) - Tyler Bass' 29-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:08

Fourth Quarter:

- 22-7 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (8:46) - Ian Wheeler rushes up the middle six yards for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 49 yards, 4:43

- 29-7 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (4:33) - Frank Gore Jr. finds a lane into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 3 plays, 22 yards, 1:29

- 29-14 BUFFALO: Panthers Touchdown (0:20) - Kyle Trask fires a strike to John Metchie III from nine yards out for a touchdown. (Ryan Fitzgerald's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:13

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STATS OF THE GAME:

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What's next:

The Bills will make the trek down the I-90 to Cleveland to face the Browns on Saturday for their second preseason game of the year. Kickoff from Huntington Bank Field is slated for 1 p.m.