Buffalo Rumblings
Coming off their bye week, the Buffalo Bills (5-2) got a dominant performance from their defense, forcing three turnovers and sacking Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton seven times while holding an opponent to a season-low nine points in an emphatic, get-right 40-9 victory Sunday afternoon.
Today’s edition of Buffalo Rumblinks offers up lasting thoughts and observations from Buffalo’s big road win over Carolina, including giving credit to a pair of defensive linemen in their first season with the Bills who stepped up in a big way on Sunday, and how the Bills received solid production from a pair of rookies in the secondary.
The Bills banged-up defensive line needed a boost on Sunday, and they got one when defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi were activated before the Week 8 contest. Hoecht was a nightmare matchup for the Panthers, recording 1.5 sacks with three tackles (one for a loss), six quarterback pressures, two QB hits and a forced fumble. Ogunjobi provided a lift up the middle, helping limit Carolina’s potent rushing duo of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle to 88 combined yards on 20 carries.
On Carolina’s first eight possessions, the Bills forced three punts, recovered two fumbles, picked off quarterback Andy Dalton, forced a missed field goal and allowed one field goal in racing out to a 40-3 lead through three quarters. Buffalo’s defensive line took center stage, as seven different players recorded at least half a sack, marking the first such game for a Bills defense since a 2021 contest vs. the New York Jets.
Linked below, read how Hoecht and Ogunjobi provided an instant spark in their first game with the Bills; learn how rookie defensive backs Maxwell Hairston and Jordan Hancock earned both solid grades and the trust of head coach Sean McDermott; analysis of James Cook’s awesome rushing effort, including going off for 153 yards in the opening half; and more!
