Carolina Panthers earn failing grade for lopsided loss to Buffalo Bills

You would be hard-pressed to find anything positive about Dave Canales's team following the Carolina Panthers’ horrendous showing vs. the Buffalo Bills.

Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

John Breech of CBS Sports handed out grades for every team’s performance in Week 8. There was likely not a lot to think about when it came to the Carolina Panthers, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a big way on Sunday via a 40-9 home loss to a Buffalo Bills’ team that had dropped its previous two contests. The Panthers, playing without starting quarterback Bryce Young, were given an "F" for the very-ugly showing.

“This was a nightmare game for Andy Dalton,” said Breech, “who was making his first start in more than a year. The Panthers’ QB turned the ball over three times and the Bills ended up getting 17 points off those turnovers. Dalton got no help from an offensive line that gave up seven sacks to the Bills.”

Dalton finished the afternoon hitting on 16-of-24 throws for 175 yards and one interception. He also lost a pair of fumbles. Two of those turnovers came in the first two quarters as Dave Canales’s club trailed 19-3 at intermission.

Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) causes a fumble by Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

“The Panthers also had an ugly sequence at the end of the first half,” added Breech, “that ended with a missed field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald. The biggest surprise here is that the Panthers defense, which was giving up less than 95 rushing yards per game heading into Week 8, got run over by a Bills rushing attack that topped 240 yards. This was a chance for the Panthers to prove that they're for real, but they ended up failing the test badly.”

All told, that Buffalo rushing number was 245 yards, with 216 yards and two touchdowns coming via two-time Pro Bowler James Cook. How bad was it for Ejiro Evero’s defense? The Panthers entered this clash with the Bills riding a three-game winning streak in which Derrick Brown and company had given up a mere 131 combined yards on the ground in those victories. Sean McDermott’s club ran for 158 yards in the first half alone.

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