Panthers find new low in embarrassing play sequence to end first half down 19-3

The most important part of any NFL game is the final two minutes before halftime. Teams that manage to score in that section give themselves some much-needed momentum going into the locker room, and often come out much more competitive in the second half.

There's that, and then there's what the Carolina Panthers just did against the Buffalo Bills. Facing a critical third down with no timeouts left, the very last thing that Andy Dalton could do was take a sack.

You can probably guess what happened next. After Dalton was sacked by Greg Rousseau, the Panthers tried to hurry a field goal attempt with only seconds to go. While they did somehow manage to get the kick off, rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald missed the chip shot from just 32 yards out.

Andy Dalton does what he absolutely couldn't do. Took a sack. And then Ryan Fitzgerald misses the 32-yarder with the FG team in scramble mode. (I think time had actually expired, but no matter -- except for Fitz stats.)
Bills up 19-3.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 26, 2025

And so, instead of bringing the Bills within punching distance going into the third quarter, the Panthers managed to put zero points on the board to end the half.

Dalton deserves most of the blame here, and not just for the awful sack that at this point in his career he has to know he just can't take. However, it's ultimately on head coach Dave Canales for not having the timeouts, not making sure his QB knows not to take a sack, and in general totally mismanaging all three phases of this game - especially the ongoing ridiculous split at running back.

Rico Dowdle is the best thing this team has going right now, but they're taking the ball out of his hands every other drive. Had they force-fed him from the get-go, this complexion of this game might look completely different right now.

It's probably no accident that Sean McDermott is the first really qualified head coach that the Panthers have faced since they got trounced by Mike Vrabel's Patriots four weeks ago.

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