ORCHARD PARK, NY — The Carolina Panthers fell 29-14 to the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game of the season.

Fans poured in for the opening of Highmark Stadium, even tailgating hours ahead of kickoff. The Carolina Panthers came in with one focus, though: getting starters live reps in a game after most of them had last week off during the Hall of Fame Game. They faced off against the Bills' first team for a little over a quarter.

Dave Canales wanted his first-team to get around 10-20 snaps in Saturday's preseason game in Buffalo. It took some time for the Panthers offense to reach that number after three straight three-and-outs. And after exactly 10 plays (nine official plays and a penalty), the offensive starters were able to take a headset for the rest of the day.

There wasn't much done during those drives, however.

Running back Jonathon Brooks was playing in a game for the first time since December 2024, following a second ACL tear in a calendar year. He got the handoff on the opening play from scrimmage but was dropped for a loss of 1 yard. He made noise on the following possession in the passing game, picking up 9 yards on a wheel route and taking a hard hit from two Bills defenders.

The back popped up quickly, though, which, more than anything else that happened in Saturday's game, is what coaches wanted to see from Brooks.

"It truly felt like a blessing, just because I know all the hard work and dedication and how much faith it took for me to get here to this moment," remarked Brooks during a third-quarter broadcast interview. "It's been a super long time, but I feel like it was worth it. I think it allowed me to find myself and truly find who I am."

Pressure was an issue on all three offensive drives, with Bryce Young either forced to throw the ball away, or getting it batted down, or sacked. Two starting guards, Damien Lewis (calf) and Robert Hunt, were sidelined for the preseason game.

Young finished 3-of-5 for 18 yards. After accounting for some losses, Brooks finished with five total yards on three carries.

The defensive starters didn't stay in long, around 10 snaps total. The first drive, Josh Allen and crew opened up the passing game quickly, catching the Panthers in open zones for chunk yardage. In the red zone though, things clamped up, thanks in large part to the pass-rush.

On second down at the Carolina 7-yard line, Princely Umanmielen pushed Allen from the pocket, tackling him from behind as Jaelan Phillips came in from the other side to assist, and was credited with the sack.

One play later, after the 8-yard loss, Phillips went after Allen again, this time pushing him far out of the pocket, hand-fighting with the big quarterback the whole way. After Allen threw the ball away, the two former AFC East foes shared a big laugh and even bigger hug.

Panthers starting defenders were on the field to start the second drive but were pulled midway through. The second-team took over, getting baptized by fire against the MVP passer. Trevis Gipson had a would-be sack, but a facemask negated the play. Rookie Will Lee III got a first-hand lesson on what it's like to defend an Allen-to-D.J. Moore throw, and then Allen found Keon Coleman for a 9-yard touchdown.

After that, the Bills offensive starters were officially done for the day as well.

Gipson spent a lot of time in the backfield on Saturday. While the sack against Allen was negated, he did register one against Kyle Allen.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd also made his debut in a Panthers uniform, showing off his nose for the ball with three tackles, including one for loss, in the limited snaps. Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus rotated next to Lloyd while starters were on the field, then played together once Lloyd finished his day.

The first touchdown of the day for the Panthers came when Kenny Pickett connected with Ja'seem Reed near the end of the first half. A couple of penalties helped the offense move into the red zone before Pickett flashed his wheels, scrambling 10 yards to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Pickett found Reed in a tight window for the first opponent touchdown in Highmark Stadium.

Pickett led the offense for much of the second quarter, all of the third, and into the fourth. He finished going 16-19 for 92 yards and a touchdown, before Kyle Trask finished the day. Trask hit John Metchie III for a touchdown late.

A family reunion in Buffalo

The Charlotte-to-Buffalo pipeline is still alive and well, with personnel, coaches, and players whowho have made their mark in both places. That means Saturday was a reunion for a lot of guys. It started with Austin Corbett, former center now with Buffalo, who arrived at the field extra early so he could hang out on the Panthers' sideline for a while and visit with his old teammates.

Sam Franklin Jr. came by a short time later, and guys took time with D.J. Moore.

And when former coach John Fox, now a senior assistant at Buffalo, came on the field with Bills general manager Brandon Beane (former assistant GM at Carolina), they were exuberantly greeted by Steve Smith Sr., who was on hand as the Panthers' broadcast analyst.

Five starters sat out while recovering

While most starters played on Saturday, five sat out, plus a rookie. All are either injured or in the final stages of recovery. Or, in the case of Pat Jones, recovering from an illness lingering from earlier this week.

The full list of those held out is:

• QB Haynes King (hamstring)
• RB Chuba Hubbard (hamstring)
• G Robert Hunt
• G Damien Lewis (calf)
• OLB Patrick Jones II (illness)
• DT Derrick Brown (knee)

Both Brown and Jones were able to go through warm-ups and work with pads on, but were held out in an abundance of caution.

Captains for the game were Young, Jaycee Horn, and Sam Martin, representing every side of the ball. It also gave Martin a chance to see old friends. He spent three seasons in Buffalo before joining the Panthers.