Coming off a bye week is one of the trickiest spots in the NFL. You have time to rest, prepare, and train better. However, this also puts a lot of pressure on delivering. That’s the scenario that Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are facing ahead of their game against the Carolina Panthers.
Well, for the Bills, coming off a bye is basically winning a game. Sean McDermott is 8-0 off a bye as the Bills head coach. No other coach has a better record off a bye than McDermott.
Also, the Bills are a much better team than the Panthers and that is backed up by the Vegas line too. Buffalo is a 7.5-point favorite against Carolina despite playing away from home.
It’s Red Rifle time
Bryce Young is nursing an ankle injury and didn’t practice all week. With that, the Panthers have opted to start NFL veteran Andy Dalton. The Red Rifle stepped in last week after Young’s injury and he completed four passes in seven attempts for 60 yards. However, Dalton is 1-5 in his last six starts for Carolina.
Andy Dalton, quarterback of the Carolina Panthers
The Panthers will try to run the ball with Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle and try not to rely too much on Dalton. The Bills rushing defense is not great so that gives some sort of hope. Having said that, they need to stop Josh Allen at some point.
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The Bills are in need of a win
Buffalo started 4-0 this season and got shocked with a two-game skid before the bye. During that span, they scored 20 and 14 points, which is way below the team’s expectations. Now, they have to come back swinging.
Last season, the Bills went on a massive scoring spree post bye. Following their bye in 2024, the Bills scored 35, 42, 48, 24, and 40 on their next games. This team knows how to make the most when coming back from a bye.
