The Panthers Got Crushed By Bills, But Here are 5 Things That Matter

The Carolina Panthers were shellacked by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Bryce Young and the offense struggled, and everything but the pass rush was pretty porous.

We can read into the results all we want. We can write the obituary of Young's career or the season recap of Mike Jackson's year, but that'd be too much. It's a preseason game, and those famously don't matter.

However, there are some things that do matter, and these five things are what Panthers fans should walk away understanding after an ugly outing.

The Panthers have a pass rush

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jaelan Phillips (5) warms up during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Panthers did very little right on Saturday, but they got after the quarterback. Notably, Jaelan Phillips and Princely Umanmielen, the top two edges on the depth chart today, got after it at a high level. Cam Gill and Trevis Gipson were also in the backfield plenty, and that bodes really well for this defense.

The interior offensive line is in awful shape

Let's all hope that Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt are able to go soon. They were missed badly during the game. Pressure came up the middle plenty, and the running game went nowhere without them on the field. The centers weren't great, either, but the backup guards are obviously not good enough for this team to survive.

Ejiro Evero's scheme needs tweaking

The Panthers' defense was in midseason form. By that, we mean that receivers were wide open in the middle of the zone. Josh Allen had no trouble finding open receivers, particularly DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir, all day, and that didn't end when Buffalo's starters left. Even with the Panthers' starters in, this scheme left people open far too often. It might be time to change.

Ja'Seem Reed deserves a spot

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ja'seem Reed (86) makes a catch during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another game, another Ja'Seem Reed touchdown. Coaches have raved about his training camp work, but to make the team, he'd need to show up in a game. He did just that on Saturday with another touchdown. He's putting together a fantastic summer, and it's time to admit he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster.

Zakee Wheatley is good, if rough around the edges

Zakee Wheatley's tackling in space was good against the Bills, but he showed a new wrinkle with some excellent blitzes. The fact that he was left in the game for so long is a little troubling, but it's clear the Panthers have something there in the rookie defensive back.

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