Two Bills Drive

'For Taylor, I think the pass plays in which he turns into a runner after only checking his first read are more indicative of a lack of quarterbacking refinement and thereby are more important to track on a weekly basis.'

'Also included in the Bills' inactives are running back Joe Banyard, guard Vlad Ducasse, linebacker Jelani Jenkins, tight end Khari Lee, offensive tackle Conor McDermott and defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, who is out with a concussion and is the team's only player sitting because of injury.'

'Tyrod Taylor was unable to get anything working in the downfield passing game as his receivers are simply not able to get open, and most alarming, the offensive line was overmatched by a stout Carolina front seven. LeSean McCoy was completely shut down.'

'The Bills were beyond-belief incompetent on offense in their 9-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. They finished with 10 first downs and 176 yards (they had only 133 before their final drive); they had just 21 minutes of possession time, their longest play went for 15 yards, they scored a mere field goal, and even that was an adventure as Steven Hauschka’s kick caromed in off the upright.'

'Taylor, who struggled all day throwing the ball, completed a couple passes, and when he hit Andre Holmes on the left sideline for a first down at the Panthers 22 with just over a minute left, the unthinkable seemed possible. And then came the penalty flag, an offensive pass interference on Holmes, and the rally seemed to die right there.'

'When you’re considered the best running team in the NFL, and your offense is predicated on moving the ball on the ground, and you rush for 69 yards, that’s a recipe for disaster for the Bills. The Panthers were keying on McCoy because they know he’s the only real threat in Buffalo’s offense, and their big guys up front won the line of scrimmage which allowed Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly to do what they do. Take Taylor’s 55 scrambling yards out, and on designed runs, McCoy and Mike Tolbert carried 15 times for 14 yards.'

'Still, despite their struggles, the Bills were one botched pass play, on their final offensive snap, from stealing a win in front of 74,112 sun-splashed witnesses.'

'And even Newton admitted, “Sean has an unbelievable defense … very stout up front … guys in the secondary that can make plays and will make plays. (McDermott) knows things that can ruffle the (offensive) line’s feathers. But, at the end of the day, it was nothing that we weren’t prepared for.”'

'The Bills’ offense was a mess against the Panthers’ talented and aggressive defense. The Bills had just 176 yards of offense in the game and couldn’t sustain drives throughout the day. It was the third lowest offensive output since their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2016 that helped get offensive coordinator Greg Roman fired. The Bills had issues all across the board on offense in this one.'

'"It's very tough, especially because of the guys in this locker room who I play my heart out for and I absolutely love," Jones said while dressed in grey Bills sweats. "It's just really difficult right now."'

'"I wasn't frustrated," Newton said. "It wasn't anything he did to frustrate me. These were self-inflicted frustration things. Sean McDermott has an unbelievable defense. Very stout up front. Guys in the secondary that can make plays and will make plays. Hell, you've got guys in the secondary that were with us all last year, so anytime you're with a person multiple years, six years to be exact, he knows things that can ruffle the feathers. But at the end of the day, there was nothing that we weren't prepared for."'

'"You saw it today," Tolbert said. "We're a damn good football team. The Panthers are a damn good football team. When you look at the game that was played, it was played in defense and field position. Both defenses played great. Offensively, we just have to get going a little bit more."'

'Tyrod Taylor couldn’t get into a rhythm on Sunday. He averaged just 4.1 air yards per completed pass against the Panthers. Until the final drive, Taylor didn’t attempt many deep passes and he finished the game 17-of-25 passing for 125 yards. He had a chance to win the game at the end, but the final drive camp up short. His 55 rushing yards led the team, but he was also sacked three times for 18 yards. Overall, this was not one of his better games.'

'Despite his stat line, Pro Football Focus (PFF) had Taylor has the Bills' highest graded offensive player following the Panthers game. PFF gave Taylor an 80.1 grade. The analytics site noted that Taylor was actually pretty good when he wasn't facing pressure.'

'Johnson knows a thing or two about tough drops. The wide receiver is well-known for dropping what would have been a game-winning touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.'