The Buffalo Bills mauled the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, sparked by a dominating rushing attack led by running back James Cook and an assignment-sound offensive line. It’s clear that head coach Sean McDermott
put in a ton of work during the bye week. Buffalo once again exits the bye with a win, the ninth-consecutive victory to retain a perfect record in McDermott’s career with the Bills.
Priority one was cutting off that two-game losing streak, and washing away the horrible taste that soaked One Bills Drive’s week of static reflection. Job well done. Hopefully this serves as proper momentum heading into Week 9 and a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kudos are due to Buffalo’s defense for holding the Panthers to nine points. The Bills played complementary football on offense, with a plan to run to a flurry of points that made a one-dimensional Carolina attack look lost behind quarterback Andy Dalton.
Don’t confuse that concerns remain. Those mostly and frustratingly center around quarterback Josh Allen, and a passing attack that’s a work in progress in its best moments. Yes, Allen finished with three touchdowns (1 passing; 2 rushing). Wide receiver Khalil Shakir made Allen’s day with a truly fantastic bit of pinball wizardry where analyst and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen counted 10 missed tackles by Carolina’s defense. Allen’s throw went but a few yards, yet claimed a touchdown of 54 yards.
The point here is that the Bills have zero downfield attack, instead having to rely on RAC/YAC almost exclusively by Shakir. In the first half, Allen looked like the worst vintage of his career — his rookie season. He lost tons of yardage on a sack where it sure seemed like he could have thrown the ball away. He missed passes too often, both low and then a few high. Allen looked nothing like the NFL MVP he was awarded a few months ago following an impressive 2024 campaign.
There are any number of reasons to look at regarding Allen’s current play, but here I’ll focus more on those around him. For as dominant as the Bills are in winning the line of scrimmage as a run-blocking unit, they appear to have regressed as pass blockers. Yet that may not be fully fair, just as it’s true that all of Allen’s troubles aren’t his to own in a vacuum.
There are far too many issues in the wide receivers room. It’s pretty evident to me at this point that wide receiver Keon Coleman is not featured-receiver material. It’s not that he won’t grow as a player, but he lacks the dominant traits of the truth alpha dogs at receiver. Did he even catch a pass until late in the second half? He sure played the role of invisible mark well, yet the box score shows three catches on four targets for 30 yards (as the second-leading Bills receiver). Savvy viewers will understand that Coleman’s just not getting it done.
I had said to our team here at Buffalo Rumblings that I was waiting to discuss the rumors about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ willingness to listen to trade offers for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. I wanted to give the team a chance to show that they were okay. They’re not okay if the run game isn’t clicking. Boy did it click today, so that’s going to hide the passing trouble.
That problem could rear its head as early as next weekend, and the Bills aren’t likely to have a counter to it on six day’s notice. This criticism isn’t levied at the microscope of today’s win. The offense scored a ton of points and look good, at least from a running aspect. It’s about what’s ahead. To me, there’s little reason for optimism about the passing game, and it’s pretty evident that Allen doesn’t trust his receivers beyond Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Yet Kincaid isn’t involved nearly enough as a receiver. Against the Panthers and on “National Tight Ends Day,” Kincaid caught just one of three passes for 23 yards.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady had two weeks to prep the Week 8 game plan, and he sure rode Cook’s wheels. Yet the passing game looked identical to prior weeks — limited, featuring quick shots to screen options at receiver. Yet… not one of those screen passes went Cook’s way. What are we doing here? Imagine the impact Cook might have on the passing game if Brady would only think to use him. Perhaps he’s saving him for later this season.
Even then, who from Buffalo’s group of pass catchers wins a kill shot over the top and downfield? No one. That player does not exist on the current roster, and I’ll include Joshua Palmer here. Palmer has done some nice things, but he’s not going to fix the passing game when he returns.
General manager Brandon Beane needs to make a move, and soon. There’s no way he watched what unfolded on the field in Charlotte, NC and thinks they’re set as-is. Right? With the Bills back on track and looking to stack Ws in the next few weeks, they’ll need better out of Allen and the passing game every step of the way.
It’s wise to continue leaning on James Cook while the passing troubles are sorted out. Hopefully a solution is in-bound, in the form of a meaningful trade. It’s pretty incredible that One Bills Drive allowed things to get to this point, where Allen’s receiving options aren’t up to the task.
