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4 Winners and 4 Losers from Panthers' Preseason Loss to Bills
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- 4 Winners and 4 Losers from Panthers' Preseason Loss to Bills
The Carolina Panthers made the trip up to Buffalo to take on the Bills on Saturday .
This game definitely wasn't as pretty as the Panthers' first preseason contest was. After putting up 33 points against the Arizona Cardinals , the team only managed to score 14 points against the Bills.
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Even in a game that didn't have a ton of positives, there were definitely still some players who helped their cause. Today, we're going to identify four winners and four losers from this preseason contest.
Winner: WR Ja'seem Reed
The Ja'seem Reed hype train is going to keep chugging along. Reed has been one of the stars of the summer for the Panthers, and he showed up again on Saturday.
In fact, Reed was pretty much the only Panthers' offensive player to feel good about. Reed caught three passes for just 17 yards, but he did score a touchdown. This means Reed has scored in both preseason contests so far. Finding the end zone is a skill, and Reed continues to gain trust.
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Loser: Running Backs
The Panthers' ground game was atrocious on Saturday. Anthony Tyus III led the way with 28 yards on four carries, but even those numbers are inflated due to a 17-yard run.
The other running backs all averaged less than two yards per carry. Jonathon Brooks has been receiving a ton of buzz, but he managed just five yards. All in all, it was a day to forget for all of these running backs.
Winner: OLB Princely Umanmielen
The Panthers need edge rushers to step up now that Nic Scourton is gone . Thankfully, Princely Umanmielen stepped up in a big way on Saturday and finally flashed the potential the Panthers know he has.
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Umanmielen didn't collect any tackles, but he made his presence felt regardless. Umanmielen racked up three pressures and two quarterback hits on the night. The edge rusher lived in the backfield when he was on the field.
Loser: Offensive Line
It also was not a good day for the Panthers' offensive line. Granted, the unit technically had four starters out, as starting guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt did not play. Still, the backups did not perform well enough as a whole.
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The unit got no push in the run game, as the Panthers ended with just 61 total yards. The unit also allowed four sacks and eight tackles for loss on the day, and several of those weren't even by Bills starters.
Winner: OLB Cam Gill
Cam Gill is a guy who has seen his stock rise way up this summer. The edge rusher caught the Panthers' eye after setting the UFL single-season sack record. Gill has done nothing but perform this summer, and he's carrying that over into the preseason.
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Gill had a sack against the Cardinals last week, and he picked up another one on Saturday. The defender ended with two tackles, one sack, and two quarterback hits. Gill could find his way onto the final roster at this point.
Loser: QB Kyle Trask
Kyle Trask had a golden opportunity on Saturday. The quarterback was brought in after Haynes King got injured , but he didn't put his best foot forward on Saturday.
Trask threw a bad interception on his second throw of the game. The veteran settled down a bit after that, but he mostly settled for quick, easy completions. Trask did nothing that compared to what King was able to do last week.
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Winner: S Zakee Wheatley
There hasn't been much to be excited about with the Panthers' secondary so far. Zakee Wheatley has definitely been a positive, as he's the Panthers' leading tackler through two games.
Wheatley led the team with seven more tackles on Saturday. The rookie wasn't caught off-guard as much as he was a week ago, and he took better angles. It was definitely a nice step forward.
Loser: Secondary
For the second week in a row, the Panthers' secondary was atrocious. Bills' quarterbacks combined to complete 26 of 33 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The Bills' passers also had a combined passer rating of 110.7.
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Even the Panthers' starters struggled in this one. The zone coverage had big holes in it all night, and it seemed like the Bills' receivers had no problem getting open.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
