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Derrick Brown gets brutally honest about the Panthers' run defense vs. Bills

The Panthers took a step backwards on Sunday vs. the visiting Bills. Carolina’s top defensive player didn’t sugarcoat his unit’s disappointing performance.
Russell Baxter|
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
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

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Carolina Panthers

It was a clash of strength vs. strength, or at least it was supposed to be. The well-rested Buffalo Bills, off last week and losers of two straight games, brought the league’s top-ranked rushing attack to Charlotte on Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers, winners of three consecutive contests, boasted a much-improved defense from a year ago. Ejiro Evero’s unit entered Week 8 a very-respectable eighth in the NFL vs. the run. In fact, in those three straight victories, Dave Canales’s squad allowed a combined 131 yards on the ground.

When it was all said and done, Sean McDermott’s club ran 35 times for 245 yards. That’s a disturbing 7.0 yards per attempt. Two-time Pro Bowler James Cook finished with 216 yards and two scores on a mere 19 carries, which included a 64-yard touchdown jaunt in the second quarter. This is the Panthers’ 31st NFL season, and that’s the most rushing yards that the team has surrendered to an opposing player in franchise history.

Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen added a pair of touchdown runs in his team’s 40-9 victory. Canales’s team entered Sunday’s contest having given up just five rushing TDs in its first seven outings. The Panthers surrendered four rushing touchdowns in the 31-point loss. All told, Carolina also allowed a season-high 410 total yards in the very disappointing performance.

Of course, veteran quarterback Andy Dalton’s performance left a lot to be desired—and that’s a major understatement. He threw for just 175 yards, was picked off once, lost a pair of fumbles, and was sacked seven times. The Panthers’ lone touchdown of the game came with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.

It was certainly a step backwards for a team that had appeared to have found its footing. Now Canales and company must try to regain its step against the first-place Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.