Bills & Panthers Notebook: Buffalo Preseason Ends With Carolina Cat Nap

The Bills' electric preseason ended with lightning and a whimper.

Contrasting Green Day, the Buffalo Bills would prefer to wake up when September starts.

Buffalo starters' reps were kept at a minimum in the team's 2022 preseason finale on Friday night, as the team dropped a 21-0 decision to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. 

The game's kickoff was delayed by about a half-hour due to lightning in the Charlotte area. While one could accurately describe the Bills' preseason endeavors, particularly those on offense, as electric, the lightning proved to be Friday's most dangerous Charlotte visitor.

Bills Central has the major takeaways from Friday's finale...

Punt, Pass, and Kick

If Friday featured Matt Barkley's final hours in Buffalo, he went out on an eventful note: as the team continues to deal with the Matt Araiza allegations, Barkley was called upon to punt four times in Friday's contest (the punter released a statement during the game and did not play). Despite no punts to his collegiate and professional name, he performed admirably in Araiza's place with a 40-yard average on four attempts. The second boot of that tally was a 53-yarder that set Carolina up inside its own 10. 

In his regular duties, Barkley made one last attempt at retaining his backup quarterback job from Case Keenum, going 9-of-13 for 100 yards. 

Don’t test Kaiir Elam 🗣 (via @NFL_DougFarrar) pic.twitter.com/4u4leQvzn7

— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) August 26, 2022

In Their Defense...

While Buffalo kept almost all of their starters on the bench, the second-teamers held their own against a Carolina offense that opted to use most of its top men, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, for a considerable portion of the first half. They forced the Panthers into a three-and-out on their first possession (highlighted by Kaiir Elam's third-down coverage on Rashard Higgins on third down) and salvaged what they could from Barkley's first 33-yard punt later on. 

On that second drive, Carlos Basham's offsides penalty on fourth down at the Bills' 15 gave Carolina a fresh set of downs, which they used to score on fourth-and-goal. But Buffalo can certainly be inspired by the defensive depth on display. Elam looks NFL-ready while Shaq Lawson and Baylon Spector capped off strong summer slates. 

Running Down a Dream

Raheem Blackshear earned a majority of offensive duties on Friday with the starters hurt and Duke Johnson forced to leave the game with an ankle injury. The undrafted rookie and preseason folk hero picked up 69 total yards on 15 touches (including 47 on 13 ground attempts). Fellow freshman free agent Neil Pau'u was the top receiver of a modest aerial game with 46 yards on four receptions.

In the veteran fringe front, Isaiah Hodgins tied for the team lead with four receptions, earning 19 yards. 

Ouch!

In addition to Johnson's brief departure, some of the Bills depth options were lost to injuries. Cornerback Cam Lewis (nose) required x-rays while Tanner Gentry was diagnosed with a knee/hamstring issue. 

That was nothing, however, to their hosts' brutal luck: Carolina lost Josh Allen's fellow 2018 draft classmate Sam Darnold to an ankle injury as well as primary leg Zane Gonzalez to a groin ailment. Each had to be carted to the locker room.

Up Next

The next time the Bills play, it'll be for real, as the team will be part of the NFL's 2022-23 kickoff celebration on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).