What to watch for when the Panthers visit the Bills in their final 2024 preseason game

Carolina head coach Dave Canales says he hopes his starters will play, so we should get to see Bryce Young in action.

Tim Weaver | Aug 24, 2024

Aug 26, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Daniel Joseph (96) attempt to tackle Carolina Panthers running back John Lovett (37) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

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Carolina Panthers

Through two preseason games the defense has done its part but the Carolina Panthers have managed just 15 points total and only one touchdown. If that sounds awfully familiar we can't blame you, but today should finally offer some respite from Carolina's long-running scoring problems.

First-year head coach Dave Canales told reporters a couple days ago that he hopes his starters will be able to play in today's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. Since it's his decision to make that's a good sign he'll get what he wants, so we'll finally get to see what the Panthers lineup will actually look like this season. With that in mind, here's a few things we'll be watching for.

The top attraction is second-year quarterback Bryce Young, who struggled awfully as a rookie but has supposedly taken some big strides in his game this offseason. Talk is cheap. However, Young did look incredibly sharp in last week's joint practice with the New York Jets, who have one of the best defensive units in the NFL.

According to Canales Young has made real progress as a passer, and we believe him. That said, the number one area Young needs to improve in is how he handles pressure. As a rookie Young took 62 sacks, losing a league-high 477 yards in the process.

Sacks may be a quarterback stat, but the Panthers have to do a much better job of protecting Young than they did in 2023. That job falls to the new-look offensive line, which should make its debut against Buffalo. From left to right it'll be Ickey Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt and Taylor Moton. The results are to be determined, but this is the most-expensive offensive line in the league, so expectations are high.

Unfortunately, they won't get to play a true first-string pass-rush. Bills head coach Sean McDermott was planning to play Josh Allen and the rest of his starters. However, injuries have changed his mind so we'll only see Buffalo's backups on the field today.

That means the Panthers should have the upper hand, at least early in the game when their starters are out there. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.