ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 31-26 loss against the Carolina Panthers in their preseason finale Saturday at Highmark Stadium:
1. One of the larger questions facing the Bills as they put the preseason behind them is the state of their backup quarterback situation.
It isn’t good.
Of course, if anyone other than Josh Allen sees any extensive playing time behind center, the Bills are in serious trouble. That said, it’s fair to wonder whether the Bills have a legitimate No. 2 QB on their roster.
Mitch Trubisky was supposed to fill that role. He’s dealing with a knee injury that could sideline him into the preseason. However, even before he suffered the injury last week against Pittsburgh, Trubisky struggled enough to raise questions about whether he should get the job in his second stint with the Bills.
Despite Sean McDermott describing their performance Saturday as “impressive,” there are no other worthy candidates on the roster in Ben DiNucci and Anthony Brown. DiNucci started Saturday and completed 11 of 15 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown (the Bills’ first of the summer) in a half of action. Brown took over in the third quarter and was 11-for-12 passing for 102 yards.
“They went in and executed, were able to run the offense, get us in somewhat of a rhythm and multiple drives there,” McDermott said, noting the short time Brown had to prepare after joining the team only days ago.
Still, it’s fair to at least suggest that Allen’s backup isn’t on the team yet.
2. It’s beginning to look like Tyler Bass might be kicking his way off the roster.
After a rough week in practice, Bass was wide right from 51 yards Saturday. McDermott did not hide his displeasure over the miss.
“Yeah, yeah,” McDermott said. “You know, those are ones he’s got to make. He knows that. It looked like it faded a little bit to the right there.
“So, that’s a kick he’s going to practice a million times, I know, this week. And that’s one we’ve got to have.”
The Bills truly had to have that 44-yard attempt he also sent wide right in last January’s 27-24 divisional-round playoff loss against Kansas City. Bass has carried the weight of that gaffe into the season, and one has to wonder whether it has become too much for him.
3. The Bills’ lone bright spot offensively was their running game.
Before suffering a knee injury late in the game, Frank Gore Jr. ran for a game-high 101 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts for an average of 5.6 yards per carry. He showed good extra effort on his five-yard scoring run, stretching out to get the ball over the goal line before his knees hit the turf.
Depending on his health (he told reporters after the game that he was fine), the effort might have been enough to possibly land a spot on the practice squad, given that James Cook, Ty Johnson and rookie Ray Davis have secured jobs.
The offensive line did a solid job of opening holes, while the receivers also did their share of downfield blocking.
4. Who helped himself land a spot on the final 53-man roster?
The final cut is Tuesday at 4 p.m. Most of the decisions have been made, but some players might have done themselves favors to either end up on the active roster or the practice squad.
The one player who has gained instant popularity with fans is former Lancaster High School and University at Buffalo standout Joe Andreessen, an undrafted free agent linebacker. He had a solid showing, though not quite as impressive as what he did against the Steelers when he had 12 tackles and was flying all over the field to make plays. On Saturday, he had eight tackles.
Other defenders worthy of consideration for a roster spot are edge rusher Javon Solomon and cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram, whose physicality could be helpful on special teams and dime packages.
Injuries could influence the cut-making process, especially with multiple players on both sides of the ball either week-to-week or expected to be out multiple weeks. Still, players who received extensive playing time Saturday aren’t likely to be on the roster for the Sept. 8 season-opener against Arizona.
McDermott said reducing the roster will be “extremely difficult,” more from an emotional standpoint than anything else.
“The relationships that we’re blessed to have formed with these young men, you know, the conversations you’re able to have, whether it’s in spring or at St. John Fisher at camp or on a trip to Pittsburgh, in the off times, in the gaps in between the schedules and the meetings,” the coach said. “You know, you get a chance to learn that these guys are real human beings with real lives that they're trying to make it, right? And so, you feel for them.
“This is a tough business … As I said (in the locker room) a few minutes ago and this is some of what I shared with them last night (that) they’re all gonna be just fine no matter what happens and that’s important to know. You think (of all) the skills that these guys pick up through playing the game of football, all the life skills you pick up. I wanted them to know that they’re prepared either way for whatever happens. They’ll be prepared.”
5. Both teams did some experimenting with kickoffs as the entire NFL tries to find the best way to handle the new rules.
Tyler Bass kicked a line drive on the opening kickoff that David Moore fielded at the 2 and returned only 13 yards. The idea was to enhance the kick coverage.
Under the new rules, the coverage unit lines up at the opponent’s 40 while the return blockers line up at the 35, and neither side can move until the ball is caught. With a line drive, the ball limits the amount of time the returner can build up speed while his blockers establish their best position to open lanes.
In the third quarter, the Panthers attempted a directional kickoff toward the sideline. But the ball went out of bounds, and that drew a penalty that put the Bills on their own 40. That helped set Buffalo up for the drive that ended with Gore’s TD.