In this article, we will formulate a Panthers vs Bills Prediction for this NFL Preseason Week 1 matchup on Saturday, August 15th. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this NFL matchup.
Buffalo Bills Preview
The Buffalo Bills finished last season with a 12-5-0 record and were placed 2nd in the AFC East. They were 8-9-0 ATS, 9-8-0 in Over/Under and had a 7-2 home record. Offensively, the Bills averaged 28.3 points per game, ranking 4th in the NFL, while defensively, they allowed 21.5 points per game, which ranked 12th. Buffalo averaged 376.3 total yards per game (216.6 passing and 159.6 rushing), while allowing 293.1 total yards per game (136.2 rushing and 156.9 passing).
Josh Allen led the Bills in passing with 3,668 yards, completing 69.4% of his passes with 25 touchdowns (plus 579 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns). James Cook led the team in rushing with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Khalil Shakir led the receiving corps with 72 receptions for 719 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Cole Bishop led the team with 85 total tackles and three interceptions, while Gregory Rousseau recorded a team-high 7.0 sacks.
Carolina Panthers Preview
The Carolina Panthers finished last season with an 8-9-0 record and were placed 1st in the NFC South. They were 10-7-0 ATS, 7-10-0 in Over/Under and had a 3-6 road record. The Panthers won the Cardinals 33-30 in the Hall of Fame Game last week.
Offensively, the Panthers averaged 18.3 points per game, ranking 27th in the NFL, while defensively, they allowed 22.4 points per game, which was 15th. Carolina averaged 295.6 total yards per game (179.3 passing and 116.3 rushing), while allowing 327.2 total yards per game (123.3 rushing and 203.9 passing).
Bryce Young led the Panthers with 3,011 passing yards with 63.6% completed passes and 23 touchdowns. Rico Dowdle led the team in rushing yards with 1,076, while Tetairoa McMillan had a team-high 70 receptions for 1,014 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. Defensively, Christian Rozeboom had a team-high 122 total tackles (59 of them solo), while Derrick Brown and Nic Scourton shared the team lead in sacks with 5.0 each, and Jaycee Horn led the team with five interceptions.
Panthers vs Bills Prediction
The Bills are 4-1 in their 5 meetings against the Panthers, having won their two meetings in Buffalo. Over is 3-1 in their last 4 meetings.
In this Panthers vs Bills Prediction, the Bills are coming as -2.5 home favorites. The Bills lost a few rotational defensive pieces in free agency while keeping the core coaching and playing staff intact. They made a statement by acquiring receiver DJ Moore from Chicago to give Josh Allen another elite weapon. The Panthers got rid of several high-priced depth pieces during their ongoing rebuild and they brought in quarterback Kenny Pickett to compete with Bryce Young. The Bills were the far better team last season and have been dominating the Panthers historically, so I will not fade them in front of their home crowd in the preseason opener. The Bills had the 4th-best offense last season and were very strong at home. Take the Bills by -2.5 in this one.