Photo: Cassie Baker / Carolina Panthers
NFL preseason continues for Dave Canales and company when the Carolina Panthers take on the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Aug. 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET in Buffalo at the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium.
While this will be the first preseason game for the Bills, Carolina will be competing in its second preseason game following a thrilling victory against the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game last week.
Saturday will give Panthers’ fans their first look at the starting unit as Canales has said starters are expected to play around 10-12 snaps depending on how drives are going. This means seeing the progression (or not) of quarterback Bryce Young who will have a lot of eyes on him this upcoming season.
Haynes King was the QB who stole the show last week, but following a hamstring injury he will not be available on Saturday for the Panthers. Once Young is out of the game, fans can expect to see some split time between Kenny Pickett and newly signed veteran Kyle Trask.
Photo: Cassie Baker / Carolina Panthers
Much like King, starting running back Chuba Hubbard is also dealing with a hamstring injury so he will not be available. This will put the spotlight on Jonathan Brooks who has high expectations and looks to elevate the Panthers’ offense despite facing the uphill battle of multiple ACL tears.
Through the first few drives (on both sides of the ball), fans could get a look at Carolina’s true colors (so to speak), and their team identity. The offense has slowly been adding pieces and finally feels like it can be a real threat when at their best and the defense will be tested early facing one of the NFL’s best in Josh Allen. The start of this game is something Panthers fans do not want to miss.
Can the offense find a rhythm and make a statement early? Can the defense get off the field on third down against a MVP-caliber QB? Will Jonathan Brooks insert himself as a real weapon in Canales’ offense? Is Bryce Young still the answer under center for the Panthers? All of these are legitimate questions we could see starting to be answered Saturday.
