The Buffalo Bills will have to make a late adjustment to their Week 8 pregame prep. Carolina Panthers starting quarterback Bryce Young is expected to miss next weekend’s game after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 7. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton is the next man up, and likely to see his first start of the 2025 NFL season.
Dalton is a bit of a legend with Bills Mafia, having played a starring role in ending Buffalo’s playoff drought of 17 seasons. On December 31, 2017, Dalton engineered a miracle
comeback against the Baltimore Ravens while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. The win enabled the Bills to sneak into the playoffs, allowing head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure to begin on a high note.
More recently Dalton had five starts for the Panthers in 2024, so this is a scenario he’s well-adjusted to after 15 years. Of note is that Carolina suffered double-digit losses in four of those games Dalton started last season. In those five starts, Dalton had 989 passing yards, completed 66% of is passes, tossing seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Panthers and Bills come into Week 8 polar opposites in terms of momentum. Carolina has won three games in a row while Buffalo is on a two-game losing streak. As head coach with the Bills, McDermott is undefeated after a bye week.
Even with a full week of prep, expect the Panthers to play it a bit conservative with Dalton, hoping to avoid costly turnovers. That may give way to more carries their pair of talented running backs in Chubba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle to see if they can tear apart the Bills’ run defense.
