Five things we learned from the Carolina Panthers’ 31-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills
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The Carolina Panthers continue to lose and the only positive from their 31-14 loss to the Bills was that the game wasn’t as lopsided as the score suggests.
The Panthers are now losers of four in a row and are 5-9 with three games left in the season, including a date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.
Here are five takeaways from the Panthers’ loss:
1. The Panthers’ best chance is using Cam Newton’s legs
It’s clear Newton isn’t the downfield passer he once was after two shoulder surgeries late in his career. He doesn’t stretch the field much with his arm.
His one deep pass to DJ Moore was underthrown. And his longest pass play was a 23-yard pass to running back Ameer Abdullah — the majority of those yards coming after the catch. He finished 18-of-38 for 159 yards, one passing touchdown and one interception.
He hasn’t passed for 200 yards in any of his four starts.
But with P.J. Walker at backup, Newton is currently the Panthers’ best option at quarterback and gives them the best chance to win.
He’s still dangerous with his legs. He led the Panthers with 71 yards rushing on 15 carries and a rushing touchdown, and the Panthers are going to have to ride that.
The Panthers used a lot of zone read and screens to help Newton. The zone read was working so coach Matt Rhule decided not to use Walker, who has been used in two-minute situations.
“Certainly right now, our passing down the field is not one of our strengths,” Rhule said. “Holding on to the football in kind of those duress situations is not really one of our strengths. We did take a shot. DJ did win. Called another one later down the left sideline that was incomplete. We tried to call two of them, just haven’t really hit him.”
2. Quarterback Sam Darnold could play
Darnold, who was designated to practice from the injured reserve this week, is eligible to be activated.
But first he must be cleared to play by a doctor this week. Darnold suffered a shoulder injury in the Panthers’ Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Before that injury, he was struggling. He turned the ball over 11 times in a five-week period.
Rhule said last week that it was possible Darnold could play when he’s ready. How that looks, whether he starts or rotates with Newton is unclear. Rhule said he didn’t want to look too far ahead.
“I’m not going to make big statements right after the game,” Rhule said. “I don’t think it’s healthy for anything. So, I’ll talk to you guys (Monday), I’ll see where we are really at all positions, and we’ll do whatever is best.”
Darnold has completed 59.5% of his passes and has seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
However, he is 4-5 as a starter.
3. Penalties continue to plague this team
The Panthers had multiple opportunities to get off the field against the Bills, but too often they committed costly penalties that could have easily been avoided.
It’s been a theme this season. So much so, that Rhule has brought in ACC referees at practices the past two weeks to help the Panthers limit penalties.
Although the Panthers only had five penalties Sunday, they were critical ones because they came in the most critical situations.
Take for instance defensive tackle Bravvion Roy’s personal-foul penalty.
Before he committed the penalty, the Panthers had just stopped the Bills on third down, forcing a fourth down.
But the penalty gave the Bills a first down. Five plays later, the Bills scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen to wide receiver Gabriel Davis.
“It’s a shame because I thought our defense for long stretches played really well in that game,” Rhule said. “We held them to whatever that was 17 points or 16 points through three quarters pretty much until that penalty.”
4. Zane Gonzalez’s injury pretty severe
Rhule said Gonzalez suffered a pretty severe injury during warmups ahead of the game at Highmark Stadium. He had to be helped off the field by long snapper J.J. Jansen and a trainer.
Gonzalez collapsed to the ground after he attempted a field goal in warmups. He was later ruled out by the Panthers with a right quad injury.
Gonzalez’s surprise injury played a major factor in Sunday’s game. The Panthers got the ball all the way to the Bills’ 24-yard line on their second possession of the game.
Normally, they would have kicked it and gone up 3-0.
But they went for it on fourth-and-9 and did not convert.
They did not attempt to kick a point-after attempt or a field goal against the Bills, instead going for two after both touchdowns. They were 1 of 2 on two-point conversions and 1 of 5 on fourth down.
Gonzalez had been a consistent kicker for the Panthers. He handled kickoffs and kicking duties. He had made his last 17 field-goal attempts, is 20 of 22 on field-goal attempts this season and 22 of 23 on extra-point attempts.
With his injury, the Panthers will likely have to sign another kicker.
5. How Brandon Zylstra became the emergency kicker
When Gonzalez got hurt, special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn came into the locker room and asked players who had prior kicking experience.
Brandon Zylstra, a wide receiver and special teams player, said he once served as an emergency kicker in high school and volunteered his services.
Zylstra said he didn’t mind kicking.
“I tell my coaches all the time, I’m an athlete,” Zylstra said. “That’s kind of my joke with them. I tell them, ‘I’m a man who can kind of do everything.’ I welcome the challenge.”
Zylstra was used on kickoffs, and while none of his kicks reached the 20-yard line, he got the job done.
Rhule said they tried punter Lachlan Edwards out for kickoffs, but he just wasn’t comfortable in that role.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Five things we learned from the Carolina Panthers’ 31-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills."
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