{"id":47171,"date":"2018-08-12T20:04:14","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T00:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=47171"},"modified":"2018-08-12T20:04:14","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T00:04:14","slug":"carolina-panthers-buffalo-bills-preseason-week-one-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/08\/12\/carolina-panthers-buffalo-bills-preseason-week-one-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Carolina Panthers-Buffalo Bills Preseason Week One Review: It’s Good to Have Moore"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers<\/a> traveled to Buffalo to take on the Bills in the first exhibition of the 2018 preseason. Carolina came out victorious, coming from behind to win 28-23. As covered in this game preview<\/a>, these two teams have a lot in common.<\/p>\n

This had the feel of a family reunion. Many players and coaches greeted each other before the game, embracing and laughing on the sideline. But there\u2019s always that estranged family member at Thanksgiving dinner who doesn\u2019t want to be there. The focus of the night was not so much on the action as it was on the confrontation between Panthers quarterback Cam Newton <\/strong>and former Panthers (now Bills) wideout (and I mean wide) Kelvin Benjamin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Cam Newton and Kelvin Benjamin get into an argument before the game ? #DunnVO<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vbBPgmNa3L<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rev. Eric Dunn (Systematic Failure – August 17th) (@ericvdunn) August 10, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What can you make of this interaction? It seems pretty obvious to me that Cam is trying to make peace with his old teammate, following Benjamin’s\u00a0comments from earlier in the week<\/a>. Benjamin decided to continue to act like a child who didn\u2019t get his way, shaking Newton off and denying him a handshake. What a man. Anyone who is going to make the comments that Benjamin made should be ready to face the aftermath of their choices. Kelvin proved once again that he is incapable of handling adversity in a mature manner. It\u2019s sad to see. Hopefully, for his sake, he can figure this out. It seems to be bigger than football.<\/p>\n

Carolina Panthers-Buffalo Bills Preseason Week One Review<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Good:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Rookies Shine<\/h3>\n

The Panthers 2018 rookie class looked ready to contribute on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s first-round pick D.J. Moore<\/strong><\/a> showing why he was the first receiver drafted this year:<\/p>\n

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ICYMI: DJ Moore can make THINGS happen! pic.twitter.com\/Iif77QDZqR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 10, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rookies on the defensive side, Donte Jackson<\/strong>, Rashaan Gaulden<\/strong>, and Jermaine Carter<\/strong> all had solid nights respectively. Nothing to complain about here yet.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Offense Looks Strong and Balanced<\/h3>\n

Although it is preseason and new Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner<\/strong> isn\u2019t going to show his hand, the offense we saw on Thursday night felt refreshing. The play-calling was balanced and a lot of different guys got involved early on. Cam was able to connect on six out of nine passes and spread the ball around nicely to five different receivers.<\/p>\n

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CMC moving and grooving in Year \u270c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/eNuHgeVCY1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Second-year tailback Christian McCaffery<\/strong> was able to bring down a couple catches and show off all five pounds he added in the off-season, scoring between the tackles on a goal-line run. The pieces are there for this offense to run well in a good system. It\u2019ll be interesting to see how Turner puts it all together come week one.<\/p>\n

Shaq Thompson<\/h3>\n

The year of 54 has begun. After turning heads all week in practice making a couple of spectacular interceptions, linebacker Shaq Thompson<\/strong> was able to do it again on Thursday. On a tipped Nathan Peterman<\/strong> pass Thompson dove all out to secure this interception:<\/p>\n

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Shaq Attack ???#KeepPounding<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/eSrPf3tzPI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thompson was the top graded player for the Panthers according to Pro Football Focus, where he garnered a 91.4 clip. Here\u2019s to hoping he can ride this momentum into the regular season where he will start in place of suspended Thomas Davis<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bad<\/h2>\n

Kevon Seymour<\/h3>\n
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Kelvin Benjamin scores a 28-yard touchdown against his former team. pic.twitter.com\/uF4uQ0lWgP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ugh. This one stung, which makes the poor performance of Kevon Seymour<\/strong> stand out even more. On the Bills first drive alone, Seymour gave up three completions including a touchdown and committed a pass interference penalty. This is not what you want to see out of a starting corner. Seymour will either need to step up his game significantly or give up his spot to rookie Donte Jackson. Either way, this is not an ideal situation for the Panthers secondary.<\/p>\n

Garrett Gilbert<\/h3>\n

Garrett Gilbert<\/strong> has been given a golden opportunity to take the backup quarterback job in Carolina. On Thursday, he didn\u2019t help his case. Gilbert\u2019s stat line turned out looking solid after throwing a laser to wide receiver Mose Frazier<\/strong> for a 26-yard touchdown, finishing 7\/12 with 93 yards. The problem with Gilbert was his consistency, missing several open throws and taking a nine-yard sack. For Gilbert\u2019s sake, he better come back strong next week. Taylor Heinecke<\/strong> had a strong performance, albeit against third stringers. The answer at backup quarterback may still be someone who isn\u2019t currently even on the roster.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ugly<\/h3>\n

It was a good win, can\u2019t harp them much here. Kelvin Benjamin is ugly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prediction Review<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s revisit my predictions from the recap:<\/p>\n

Predicted Score: Panthers 23 Bills 16<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Actual Score: Panthers 28 Bills 23<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m happy with this. I\u2019ll get it one day.<\/p>\n

Predicted Offensive MVP: Damiere Byrd (six catches, 78 yards and a TD with a bird flap)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Actual Offensive MVP: D.J. Moore (four catches, 75 yards)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Panthers fans have a lot to be excited for in first-round pick D.J. Moore. Moore showcased all of the skills he has been praised for throughout camp. On a play negated by a hold, Moore took a tunnel screen for a big gain and showed great ability to make guys miss after the catch. He was also able to bail out backup Heinecke on a wild toss up for 32 yards. The future looks bright soft-spokent spoken kid out of Maryland.<\/p>\n

Predicted Defensive MVP: Donte Jackson (two PBUs, four shit-talks and some really nice makeup speed (he\u2019s fast!))<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Actual Defensive MVP: Jermaine Carter(three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jackson\u2019s name didn\u2019t come up very often in this game. When you\u2019re a defensive back in this league, a lot of the time this is a good thing. Linebacker Jermaine Carter was flying around in the second half. He was able to make his first NFL sack.<\/p>\n

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First NFL sack?not used to being unblocked lol pic.twitter.com\/DxmLSZNAnl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jermaine Carter Jr. (@JERMA1NECARTER) August 10, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If Carter keeps this play up, he may not only make the roster, but make a significant impact on special teams and possibly see some time at linebacker.<\/p>\n

BONUS PREDICTION: <\/strong><\/p>\n

LFP: Least Fitting Player \u2013 Kelvin Benjamin in his own jersey<\/h3>\n

This was my most accurate prediction this week.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>