The Buffalo Bills are set to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. on FOX. The Bills enter the matchup as 7.5-point favorites and hold a 4-2 record, while the Panthers stand at 4-3.
Buffalo has demonstrated strong post-bye performance, winning ten consecutive games after a bye week since 2015, which is currently the longest active streak in the NFL. Quarterback Josh Allen remains undefeated (7-0) in games following a two-game losing streak. In contrast, Carolina has secured four straight home victories.
Andy Dalton will likely start at quarterback for Carolina due to Bryce Young’s high ankle sprain. Dalton has a career record of 4-2 against Buffalo but is just 1-5 as a starter with the Panthers.
Several analysts provided their predictions for this week’s game:
Tom Oldfield from Covers.com noted that despite recent struggles, he expects Buffalo to “do just enough to slow down a dangerous Carolina rushing attack,” predicting a final score of Bills 29 – Panthers 16.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports said: “The Bills are coming off the bye, which was needed after losing two straight… Josh Allen gets back on track. Bills take it.” His pick is Bills 28, Panthers 20.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms predicted close scores in favor of Buffalo—27-24 and 23-20 respectively—while Bill Bender from Sporting News highlighted Buffalo’s unbeaten record after byes under coach Sean McDermott and picked them to win 34-20.
Anthony Dabbundo from The Ringer analyzed both teams’ offensive trends and pointed out improvements in Carolina’s run defense this season but ultimately recommended betting on the Panthers with +7.5 points.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News observed that “the Bills need a big get-well game after two losses and get it here,” predicting a win by Buffalo with a score of 31-17.
ESPN coverage included comments from Josh Allen about correcting offensive issues: “Just pulling together as a team, making sure we’re staying as one unit, getting back to the fundamentals. Again, just trusting the other 10 guys on the field with you. And you’re trusted and expected to do your 1/11th.” ESPN also reported that Carolina’s rushing offense ranks third in yards per game (140.1), while Buffalo’s run defense ranks near the bottom of the league by allowing an average of over 156 ground yards per game.
Further analysis indicated that Allen is seeking his first stretch of five consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns since late in the 2023 season. Fantasy projections suggested Khalil Shakir could be effective against Carolina’s zone-heavy defense, while tight end Dalton Kincaid may benefit given that Carolina allows significant fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Bleacher Report contributors agreed on picking Buffalo to cover the spread but acknowledged potential challenges posed by Carolina’s running game against one of the league’s weaker run defenses.
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice commented: “Both teams want to run the football — … only one has demonstrated the ability to stop the run… At the end of the day…the Bills have a … trump card in Josh Allen.”
The consensus among national analysts leans toward Buffalo ending its losing streak and continuing its strong post-bye performances despite concerns about stopping Carolina’s rushing attack.
