Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills had a convincing win against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 31-14, as they found a way to remain one of the three wild card teams in the AFC.
The Panthers were dealt a huge setback when their place kicker Zane Gonzalez injured his quadriceps in pregame warm-ups and had to be assisted off the field. The injury left Carolina without the threat of a kicking game, which is why they had just a 20% conversion rate on fourth downs.
Carolina scrambled to find a replacement for Gonzalez, having a ‘kick-off’, which included receiver Brandon Zylstra, practice squad running back Reggie Bonnafon and linebacker Frankie Luvu before the game. They settled on punter Lachlan Edwards to handle kickoff duties.
Defensive end Brian Burns barely missed recovering a fumble forced by Hanson Reddick that would have given the Panthers an early touchdown lead, but forcing fourth-and-long was a nice consolation prize for the Panthers defense. Neither team scored in the opening quarter.
The Bills scored early in the second quarter, thanks to a 16-yard touchdown run by Davin Singletary. The kick was good, giving the Bills a 7-0 lead.
On their next drive, the Panthers could not get anything going and were forced to punt the ball right back. The Bills took advantage of a shorter field, thanks to a 14-yard punt return and extended their lead 14-0 after Allen connected with Stefon Diggs. The Panthers were able to put together a great offensive possession that resulted in a score. They went for two and converted to make it a 14-8 game at the half.
The Panthers got off to a fast start on defense in the third quarter, forcing a punt on fourth -and-7. The offense was stagnant when they got the ball back and had to punt it right back to the Bills.
The Bills put together a scoring drive on their next possession, in part due to a questionable penalty on the Panthers. Buffalo extended their lead to 24-8. The Panthers put together a solid drive in their attempt to get back in the game and they faced a fourth-and 4 inside the red zone as time expired.
Starting the fourth quarter, the Panthers could not convert on their fourth-and-4 opportunity, turning the ball over on downs. The Panthers defense stepped up and kept them afloat. The offense took advantage with a touchdown drive that ended with Newton finding running back Ameer Abdullah to score, making the score 24-14.
The Panthers defense forced the Bills to punt, giving their offense a chance to make it a one score game. They could not convert on a fourth-and 9 after Efe Obada sacked Newton and turned the ball over at midfield. The Bills drove down the field to ice the game with a touchdown, to give themselves a 31-14 lead. The Panthers could not score a touchdown in the final minutes to make the score more respectable.
Josh Allen finished 19 of 34 for 210 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception in the win. Wide receiver Gabriel Davis led the Bills with 5 catches for 85 yards and had 2 touchdown receptions, the final one coming with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game on a 14-yard pass from Allen. He has six touchdowns on the year.
Panthers signal caller Cam Newton became the first quarterback in NFL history with 75 career rushing touchdowns. He finished 13 of 39 for 156 yards and an interception, with 15 carries for a team-leading 71 yards.
The Bills end their road schedule against Mac Jones and the Patriots on Sunday. The Panthers close their home schedule hosting Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
