Two Bills Drive

'Get ready for what might be a carbon copy game next week when Denver brings its defensive studs to town.'

'But the Bills haven’t done Taylor any favors at wide receiver. Outside of those awful Jets, there might not be a trio of receivers in the NFL worse than what the Bills possess.'

'If you didn't know better, you'd swear the Bills were facing similar version of Josh McCown, the quarterback they saw in their season-opening victory against the New York Jets. Newton is supposed to be one of the best QBs in the league, but he hardly looked like that Sunday.'

'Offensive ineptitude: The Bills came ever so close to pulling this out, with Tyrod Taylor firing a fourth-down pass for Zay Jones who got both hands on the ball before allowing it to slip through his fingers with nine seconds left at the Carolina 1. Otherwise, the Bills couldn't reach the end zone and couldn't get anything going in any phase of their offense. They finished with 176 yards. How about this for a stunning stat line? LeSean McCoy had nine yards on 12 carries, an average of 0.8 yards per carry. Of course, the Panthers managed only three field goals.'

'The Bills' wide receivers have 11 catches through two games. Not good enough. There are not any weaknesses in the Panthers' fantastic defense. It's hard to throw to the middle of the field where Luke Kuechly patrols, and it's hard to hit the running back on swing passes because outside linebackers Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson are so fast. But cornerback isn't a huge strength. James Bradberry is pretty good. Daryl Worley is OK. Last year, Atlanta's Julio Jones went for 300 yards in receiving yards in one game on the Panthers. New Orleans' Brandin Cooks went for 173. Oakland's Michael Crabtree went for 110. Washington's DeSean Jackson went for 111. But those guys all are top-end wideouts. But the Bills don't have a true No. 1 receiver without Sammy Watkins in the fold. They couldn't get enough done outside the numbers.'

'Poyer, who started just 10 games in the first four years of his NFL career, now has two straight superb performances as a new starting safety for the Bills. The 26-year-old former Cleveland Browns special teamer was the biggest reason the Bills still had a chance at the end of their 9-3 defeat.'

'Downright unwatchable at times. Taylor completed three passes to receivers in the first 57-plus minutes of the game. The lack of a No. 1 option for the passing game is a gigantic problem. When there was separation, Taylor was off the mark just enough to make catches harder than they needed to be. His receivers didn't bail him out in those situations. Tight end Charles Clay had a minimal impact with three catches for 23 yards.'

'The Bills' defense deserves praise for Sunday's effort, even coming up with a goal-line stand late in the fourth on a hot day when the Panthers held the ball for two-thirds of the game. It yielded only nine points and 255 yards, proving that the unit is no fluke after a good opening game against the lowly Jets.'

'The Bills' defense continued to make life miserable for Cam Newton, sacking him three more times in the third quarter while the Panthers gained negative-5 yards of offense.'

'The story of the second quarter was the Bills' defense, which sacked Cam Newton three times while keeping the Panthers out of the end zone (including the first career sack for Eddie Yarbrough). Safety Jordan Poyer had a key pass break-up in the end zone on a ball intended for Russell Shepard that forced the Panthers' second field goal, a 28-yarder.'

'The Bills' defense had some lapses, especially in containing quarterback Cam Newton, but should get credit keeping the score close despite being on the field for 11 minutes and 53 seconds.'

'"We've got people we've been sitting with for 20 years," Bob said a couple of weeks before the game, "but we're going to have to wear our Bills gear. We're going to be tough. We're going to handle."'

'By the end of the half, many fans on Twitter had seen enough and began clamoring for the team to replace Taylor with rookie Nathan Peterman. The Bills chose Peterman, who played college football at Tennessee and later Pittsburgh, in the fifth round of April’s draft. He won the backup job after outplaying T.J. Yates in the preseason.'

'"People are venting," said Jerry Marcinowski, 75, a retiree from Clarence, watching as Bills fans danced, as they pumped their fists and hollered, as they sang along to "Shout," with the song cranked to high volume. "They've been cooped up a long time, and everyone here knows this thing could have been a lot worse."'

'After a sub-par season opening performance in the Bills victory over the New York Jets, Harlan improved and had the kind of game expected of him.'