Week 15: Bills 31, Panthers 14
At Orchard Park
Plays of the game: Gabriel Davis, starting in place of the injured Emmanuel Sanders, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth. He has four touchdowns in his last three games.
For the record: Bills 8-6; Panthers 5-9.
Josh Allen looked fine after leaving last week’s loss in Tampa with a walking boot on his sprained left foot. He consistently used his mobility to escape pressure and scrambled for 26 yards early in the third quarter.
Devin Singletary ran for a season-high 86 yards on 22 carries, including a 16-yard touchdown, and Stefon Diggs caught an 11-yard score to give the Bills a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Buffalo took advantage of excellent field position by driving 49 and 57 yards for those scores.
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Singletary’s rushing touchdown was his third of the season and first since Week 10.
Carolina did not attempt a field goal and went for two after each touchdown after kicker Zane Gonzalez suffered a right quad injury during pregame warmups.
Stars of the game:
• Gabriel Davis, Bills: Five catches, 85 yards, two TDs.
• Josh Allen, Bills: 19 of 34 for 210 yards, three TDs, INT, 91.5 rating; 24 rushing yards on three carries.
• Cam Newton, Panthers: 18 of 39 for 156 yards, TD, INT; 71 rushing yards, TD on 15 carries.
Covid impacts O-line: Starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and guard Jon Feliciano missed the game after being placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list. Feliciano’s absence was announced hours before the game.
The Bills starting offensive line, from left: Spencer Brown, Ike Boettger, Mitch Morse, Cody Ford, Daryl Williams.
Linebacker Tyrel Dodson also missed the game on the Covid-19 list.
Diggs again over 1,000: Stefon Diggs became the second player in Bills history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in consecutive seasons, joining Stevie Johnson (2010-12). Diggs entered the game needing 28 receiving yards to reach the milestone, which he attained in the third quarter.
Diggs also needed just two catches to join Eric Moulds (2004-05) as the only players in franchise history with 80-plus receptions in consecutive seasons.
He had four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Revenge game: Bills defensive end Efe Obada had two sacks on a single defensive series in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on downs against his former team. Bills linebacker A.J. Klein, another former Carolina player, intercepted Newton to seal the victory.
Next up: Bills vs. New England Patriots, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 26
