Helping kick off Saturday’s seven-game NFL preseason slate, the Carolina Panthers will take on the Buffalo Bills.
Carolina suited up for the Hall of Fame game but are expected to lean on their starters more regularly in their second preseason action. This is the first look at the Bills ahead of the 2026 season, following an offseason in which they fired Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady as his replacement.
Looking at the odds, the Bills enter as three-point favorites with -155 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Panthers are +130 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 38.5 points.
Panthers at Bills Preview
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers opened up the entire 2026 season with a 33-30 thriller over the Arizona Cardinals during last week’s Hall of Fame game. Kenny Pickett opened the matchup as the starting quarterback before Georgia Tech standout Haynes King put on a show in the second half. It was an entertaining back-and-forth matchup in which both teams showed some flashes, and they put up 26 combined points in the fourth quarter. A last-second rushing touchdown from King secured the victory, and the exhibition caught plenty of eyes as football made its way back to center stage on TVs across the country.
Expect a different approach from the Panthers in this second preseason opportunity. Bryce Young was held out of the opening preseason matchup, but head coach Dave Canales told reporters he will be on the field for a drive or two in this matchup with the Bills. Carolina is tentatively targeting 10-20 snaps played for Young and the rest of the offensive starters in this matchup. It has been a rocky three seasons in the league for the former first overall pick, but Young showed some positive flashes last season that will be important to build off.
One exception to the starting unit will be Chuba Hubbard, who will be held out of this matchup due to a hamstring injury, leaving Trevor Etienne and Jonathon Brooks to handle most of the rushing production. Injuries have been a factor across the Panthers’ training camp already, with WR Chris Brazzell II suffering a torn LCL and second-year edge rusher Nic Scourton suffering a torn ACL in training camp. Players like Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, and Tershawn Wharton have also dealt with ailments that had already occurred coming into the season. It will be interesting to see how much the Panthers change their game plan compared to the Hall of Fame matchup. But preseason is far more about evaluation from an organizational perspective, and it is worth noting that the Panthers got a real spark from many of their deeper rostered players in the preseason opener.
Buffalo Bills
New head coach Joe Brady alerted the media he also plans to use this preseason matchup as a rehearsal, with the starters expected to play a few snaps. This includes 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, a change after he sat out the entire preseason last year. Brady has not committed to how long Allen and the starters will remain on the field, but made it clear his overall message is the importance of the team getting a chance to play together for the first time against another opponent. This will also be the first matchup at the new-look Bills’ stadium.
Behind Allen on the depth chart, Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele will be responsible for the quarterback snaps. Allen is a journeyman who has spent time on six different teams across his eight years in the league. The 30-year-old has made 34 appearances and 19 starts in these opportunities. Buechele spent his collegiate years at Texas and SMU, last playing in 2020. He went undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft and ended up on the Chiefs’ practice squad after the fact. Buechele was eventually released and was signed to the Bills’ practice squad ahead of the 2023 season. The 28-year-old did another stint with the Chiefs amid their quarterback injuries last year and made an appearance in which he completed seven of his 14 pass attempts for 88 yards, which marks his only NFL statistics in his career. Kansas City released him after that final game, and Buechele landed back in Buffalo ahead of this season, still looking to prove himself.
Outside of the quarterback position, there will be plenty of positional battles taking place at both lineman positions. The linebacker roles are also not quite solidified, and plenty of eyes will be on Josh Palmer following a first season in Buffalo that was interrupted by injuries. Running back Ian Wheeler has caught some eyes in training camp, and will look to carry this into his first preseason opportunity.
Panthers at Bills Pick, Best Bet
Brady’s decision to play the starters is a change from what took place last season for the Bills. There is a clear desire to start this era on the right foot, especially with this being the first opportunity in front of home fans in the new stadium. Buffalo is also facing a Panthers team that has gone 2-5 straight-up in the preseason under Canales.
However, it’s hard not to be impressed by the effort Carolina put forth in the Hall of Fame game. Most notably, Haynes King showed impactful flashes in his first NFL opportunity that I expect to carry over in this matchup. The reigning ACC Player of the Year finished the game with the Cardinals by completing 21 of his 34 passes for 180 yards and two passing touchdowns, and added 39 rushing yards and a score with his legs.
Both Young and Pickett are expected to see snaps under center before King gets his chance. Count on the Panthers to make a clear effort to build up Young’s confidence, with his pathway through the NFL to this point worth noting, and to keep a simple playbook. Pickett is more than competent in his own right at the quarterback spot, and Carolina has the edge in quarterback talent for this matchup given that Josh Allen will only be taking a few snaps.
Expect a bit more spirit from both sides than is sometimes the case in preseason matchups. But Carolina found a way to win the first preseason matchup with the Cardinals while losing the turnover battle, time of possession, and the passing, rushing, and total-yards battles. It is tough to have confidence in the Buffalo offense once Allen is removed from the field and expect the Panthers to score at a rate the Bills cannot match to pick up their second preseason win and spoil the stadium debut.
