The Carolina Panthers' starting offense ended their day against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday with a resounding thud. Quarterback Bryce Young managed just 18 yards in the first half on five pass attempts, with the unit failing to pick up a single first down on any of their three possessions. Fortunately, the second-string offense proved a little more lively—albeit against backups for Buffalo's defense. In his first possession of the game, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett led a 10-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to get Carolina on the scoreboard just before the break. Along the way, Pickett completed 11-yard passes to running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. The Bills helped with a 15-yard face mask penalty, as Pickett got clobbered by several defenders at once. Pickett finished the drive with a well-placed ball to wide receiver Ja'seem Reed on a slant route.
Give em' six! 📺 WSOC 📻 @997TheFox 📲 In-market in the Panthers app pic.twitter.com/icLf9EjWjj — Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 15, 2026 Pickett ended the first half having completed all three of his throws for 28 yards and a 145.1 passer rating. The Panthers trail the Bills, 13-7, at halftime. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content. This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' 2nd-team offense scores TD after starters struggle vs. Bills