ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — All signs pointed to the Carolina Panthers losing to the Buffalo Bills in a blowout Sunday.
They lost their only kicker, Zane Gonzalez in pregame warmups to a quad injury, had to use a wide receiver on kickoffs, their offense has struggled all year and they were playing the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense.
They lost 31-14.
But the Panthers didn’t play too poorly against the Bills. They had 19 first downs and had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to make it a one-possession game. They showed resolve.
However, Sunday’s game also showed that the Panthers simply don’t have the talent to keep up with teams like the Bills.
“I think the biggest issue is our inability to throw the ball at a high level,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “Create some explosive plays. We’re having to grind things out.”
He’s right.
The Panthers have now lost four consecutive games and five of their past six. They sit at 5-9 after starting the season 3-0, and it’s because their offense isn’t good enough.
Not even firing former offensive coordinator Joe Brady can help that.
Too often, the defense is expected to make every play when the offense and special teams put them in difficult situations.
At times, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had his way with the Panthers’ defense — sometimes to the Panthers’ own doing.
The defense committed silly penalties, like the roughing-the-passer penalty by Brian Burns late in the second quarter, the 12-men-on-the-field penalty and a fringe personal foul on third down by defensive tackle Bravvion Roy in the third quarter, which extended the Bills’ second drive and led to an Allen touchdown.
But they also made plays and did enough to help the Panthers win had the offense put more points on the board.
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos forced a fumble they did not recover. Safety Jeremy Chinn intercepted one of Allen’s passes that the Panthers turned into seven points.
Allen finished 19-of-34 passing for 210 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
The offense, meanwhile, continues to struggle. And while it isn’t as bad as it was against the Dolphins three weeks ago, Carolina still isn’t doing enough to win.
Perhaps part of their struggles on offense Sunday can be attributed to the Bills, who have the league’s No. 1 defense. But the talent is not there.
Their wide receivers are talented. Christian McCaffrey is a star, but he hasn’t played much in the past two years, battered by injuries after signing his massive contract. The offensive line is bad.
Starting quarterback Cam Newton is dangerous with his legs. He led the Panthers with 71 yards rushing and one touchdown. But he can’t push the ball downfield with his arm like he used to. Panthers interim play-caller Jeff Nixon called a lot of screens and short passes Sunday to try to help Newton.
“Not winning,” Newton said when asked what was most frustrating.
Rhule indicated last week that backup quarterback P.J. Walker would likely play Sunday. He said they were preparing both quarterbacks, similarly to how they used both in the game against the Falcons. But the Panthers never used Walker. Rhule said the zone read was working for Newton, and they wanted to stick with it.
The Panthers are missing explosive plays and a quarterback capable of starting the combustion.
“We haven’t had much of a vertical game all year,” wide receiver Robby Anderson said.
The Panthers gambled when they traded for Sam Darnold and parted ways with Teddy Bridgewater. They were putting faith in a quarterback who hadn’t proved much in his three years with the New York Jets. They also put much of their investment in the past two drafts on the defense. And while the defense, for the most part is fixed, those two factors are coming back to bite the Panthers.
Darnold struggled midway through the season and got hurt. So the Panthers signed Newton, who has proven in a few games that he isn’t the threat he once was in the passing game.
While he was fortunate to have only one turnover Sunday, Newton had only 39 yards passing in the first half and completed less than 50% of his passes on the afternoon
He missed multiple opportunities, including a potential touchdown pass to DJ Moore when Moore had gotten behind the Bills secondary, but Newton underthrew him.
On fourth-and-1 with 2:05 left in the first quarter, Newton threw behind Robby Anderson and the Panthers turned it over on downs. Rhule said the play was a zone read with a bubble screen option.
He said Newton was supposed to hand it off or run it himself and made the wrong decision.
“That’s just an error by the quarterback,” Rhule said.
Newton finished 18 of 38 for 156 yards, one passing touchdown and one late-game interception.
Darnold, who suffered an injury to his shoulder blade, could return this week. He’s eligible to be activated but he must be cleared for contact by a doctor first. And even though he was playing terrible football before his shoulder injury, Rhule may decide to give him a chance to play given he’ll be back next season with $18.8 million in guaranteed money.
The Panthers play the Buccaneers next week, who have the No. 1 ranked offense in the league, and perhaps the NFL MVP in Tom Brady. They average 31.5 points per game, while the Panthers have averaged 16.5 points in the last four games.
And to compete with Tampa Bay, teams have to score points. The Panthers haven’t done that.
They don’t have the talent.
