The Buffalo Bills came out of their bye week in dominant fashion, rolling past the Carolina Panthers, 40-9, on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. The win moved Buffalo to 5-2 on the season, while Carolina fell to 4-4.
James Cook powered the offense with a career-best 216 rushing yards on just 19 carries, the most by a Bills running back since O.J. Simpson in 1976. Cook broke free for a 64-yard touchdown in the second quarter to make it 12-3, then added a 21-yard score midway through the third to extend the lead to 33-3. In total, Buffalo rushed for 245 yards, surpassing its previous season high of 224 against the New York Jets in Week 2.
Josh Allen delivered a balanced performance, completing 12-of-19 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown while adding two rushing scores. His performance marked his 46th career game with both a passing and rushing touchdown, breaking Cam Newton’s NFL record.
Khalil Shakir added a highlight play, turning a short pass into a 54-yard touchdown thanks to missed tackles by Carolina’s defense.
Buffalo’s defense recorded three takeaways and seven sacks while limiting Carolina to 244 yards of total offense. Andy Dalton, who started in place of the injured Bryce Young, threw for just 175 yards.
The Bills improved to 9-0 following a bye week since 2017, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best record over that span.
GAME RECAP LINKS
- Bills 40, Panthers 9 | Final score, game recap + highlights (BuffaloBills.com)
- Bills vs Panthers game recap: James Cook dominates en route to huge Buffalo win (BuffaloRumblings.com)
- Bills’ James Cook’s historic day is one no NFL running back has matched in 2025 (Syracuse.com)
- Rapid reaction to Buffalo Bills’ blowout Week 8 win over Carolina Panthers (SI.com)
- Playoff picture: The entire AFC East won this weekend (BuffaloRumblings.com)
- Josh Allen breaks staggering NFL touchdown record, passing Cam Newton (D&C.com)
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].