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Good and bad from Bills’ Week 8 win vs. Panthers  

Daniel Adams
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Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills took over Carolina in Week 8, and beat the Panthers, 40-9.

It was a dominant offensive performance, led by James Cook, who racked up over 200 yards in just the first three quarters.

Buffalo’s defense looked like they were back to their normal selves, as head coach Sean McDermott was seen handling playcalling duties.

Despite the win, the Bills are still second in the AFC East at 5-2, as the New England Patriots have been on a tear as of late, sitting in first place with a record of 6-2.  

The good  

James Cook  

Cook finished the game with 19 carries for 216 total rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 11.4 yards per carry. Cook was cooking against Carolina’s defense, as the Bills’ stout front-five was able to create holes for him to run through. Cook has been named AFC offensive player of the week following his Week 8 performance.  

Khalil Shakir  

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady made an effort to get Khalil Shakir involved in the offense, as he is one of their most explosive players. Shakir finished Sunday’s game with six receptions on seven targets, totaling 88 receiving yards and a touchdown. Shakir’s run-after-catch ability was evident against Carolina and should be used more often in the Bills offense as the season continues.  

Run defense  

The Bills run defense was great. Buffalo held Rico Dowdle to just 54 rushing yards, and Chuba Hubbard to just 34 rushing yards. Even without captain Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano, the Bills defense was strong.  

Maxwell Hairston  

The Bills’ first-round draft pick in 2025, cornerback Maxwell Hairston, made his NFL debut coming back from a LCL sprain he suffered in training camp. Hairston was only in on a limited number of plays, yet he made the most of his opportunities and held his own.  

Forced turnovers  

The Bills defense was outstanding against Carolina and Andy Dalton. Buffalo’s defense forced three turnovers, an AJ Epenesa interception, along with two fumble recoveries.  

The bad  

Josh Allen first half  

Josh Allen and the Bills offense struggled in the first half. Allen and the Bills passing attack did not work on the first two drives, forcing Buffalo to settle for back-to-back field goals. The Bills offense finally started to get rolling when they implemented Cook, which took the weight off Allen, hence why he only had 19 pass attempts.  

Penalties  

The Buffalo Bills’ penalty issues continued in Week 8 following their bye week. Buffalo ended Sunday’s game with seven penalties for 60 total yards. The Bills have been making sloppy mistakes, especially at the line of scrimmage. Buffalo must clean up their penalties as they look to take on their AFC rival in the Kansas City Chiefs.  

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