Travis Henry had a monster day against the worst run defense in the lead. He did in on the ground with 101 yards rushing on 27 carries and threw the air as he converted two screen passes for 56 yards. His first reception went for 40 yards and setup a field goal. His 3.7 yards per carry is tainted by getting stopped in the grind it out time at the end of the game. He didn't quit on his one yard scoring plunge. He took a bad taunting penalty on one run that thwarted a Bills drive. Larry Centers dropped two passes, one was picked off the other cost the Bills a touchdown. It was very uncharacteristic of him as he caught four balls for 17 yards. Grade C+: A for Henry, F for Centers.

Eric Moulds caught four passes for 50 yards including two big catches on the last minute drive in the first half. He ran once for one yard but he could have lost 10 yards on the play. Peerless Price also caught two passes on that drive including a pretty touchdown reception with one tick on the first half clock. Reggie Germany made an acrobatic catch on a ball he tipped, then the defender tipped. That catch setup a field goal. Jay Riemersma was found in the offense just in time in the second half. He caught four passes, all big ones late in the game on the final scoring drive and the drive that ran out the clock. Grade B+: Not great stats but made the plays when they had to.

Offensive Line:

The Bills training camp offensive line made it through the whole game uninjured and it showed. They had good protection most of the game allowing two sacks. The Bills ran well most of the time especially using pitch outs more frequently then in the past. Grade B-: Did a decent job in the victory.

Defensive Line:

This unit was decimated today but hung tough after a tough spot in the second quarter. Pat Williams went out with a leg injury leaving the game to the young players. The line got little pressure but did get in the backfield to stop some running plays for losses. Aaron Schobel got banged up but finished the game. Phil Hansen was the lone experienced lineman and he had four tackles. Rookie Ron Edwards saw his first action and had one of those stops for losses. Tyrone Robertson was a surprise inactive. Grade C: Could have been worse with Williams joining Price on the sidelines. They recovered nicely.

Linebackers:

The Panthers running game managed just 2.9 yards per carry as the linebackers made some plays. Keith Newman led all defenders with eight solo tackles and put pressure on Wienke on a third down pass. Jay Foreman was also active getting in on five tackles. Brandon Spoon showed good hands and concentration on the interception and good athletic ability in getting into the end zone by avoiding a tackle attempt. Grade A: Picked up the slack for the depleted defensive line.

Secondary:

Nate Clements was the only player in this unit to play well. He was in on six tackles and deflected the pass that Spoon picked off. He also forced two fumbles. Antoine Winfield was beaten by Mushin Muhammed and a number of occasions. Raion Hill had a costly pass interference call that cost the Bills a touchdown. He also gave up a score directly by not covering the tight end on a scoring pass. Chris Watson had the other costly pass interference penalty. Ken Irvin was active but did not play as he continues to free fall down the depth chart. Grade D: Made some plays but oh those penalties.

Special Teams:

Shayne Graham hit his two field goals from 20 and 27 yards out. He made his only extra point attempt. His kickoffs were short but by design as the Bills respected the Panthers return game. Carolina did return one kick into Buffalo territory setting up a score. Brian Moorman was trying to kick toward the sidelines to protect against the return. The Bills gave up on that as his first two kicks were shanked. He finished with a 38.8 yard average. Peerless Price had a nice 24 yard punt return. Grade C: Some good... some bad but nothing that cost them the game.

Coaching:

125 yards in penalties have to fall on the head coach this late in the year. Going for two points in the third quarter was plain a wrong move. Williams did win a challenge of a placement call and showed that the team hasn't given up on him with the comeback. Grade C: The team is still playing for the Coach.

Game Analysis and Review
NFL.com Gamebook - Complete stats including play by play
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