Buffalo Bills vs Carolina Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- — A little rest proved just what Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills needed. James Cook ran for a career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns, Allen accounted for three scores and the Bills returned from their bye with a resounding 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Allen improved to 8-0 following the bye week and established an NFL record by becoming the first player to run and throw for a touchdown in 46 games, breaking the mark previously held by former Panthers QB Cam Newton. “I think it's the way that our guys handle (the bye),” Allen said. “Just making sure that we're practicing the right way. Coming off two losses it's been lingering with us, so we wanted to come out and put our best foot forward — and we did that.” Bills coach Sean McDermott, who is 9-0 coming off the bye, said his team played with a “different attitude and different energy” than before the break, which included losses to New England and Atlanta. Allen finished 12 of 19 for 163 yards, the highlight coming on a catch-and-run 54-yard toss to Khalil Shakir. But the Bills repeatedly gashed the Panthers' eighth-ranked run defense. Cook scored on runs of 64 and 21 yards, becoming the third Bills running back to run for 200 yards and two touchdowns, joining Cookie Gilchrist and O.J. Simpson. Cook, who didn't play in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand, did it against a defense that had allowed just 131 yards on the ground over the past three weeks. “When you have James Cook, you let him cook,” Allen said. Allen added two short TD runs, giving him 77 for his career (including playoff games), tying him with Newton for the most all-time by a quarterback. Buffalo's defense also got a spark from defensive end Michael Hoecht, who played for the first time after sitting out the first six games due to a league-imposed suspension. The Bills sacked Andy Dalton seven times and forced the veteran quarterback into three turnovers to open a 40-3 lead in the third quarter. Dalton, who got the start for the injured Bryce Young, finished 16 of 24 for 175 yards with two fumbles and one interception as the Panthers' three-game winning streak came to a screeching halt. The 37-year-old looked slow trying to escape pressure and said afterward that he “didn't give his team a chance.” “It’s tough," Dalton said. “Obviously I’ve got to do a better job of protecting the ball, especially at that point early in the game when we had some momentum. We were close to scoring and I’ve got to hold on to it.” Buffalo built a 19-3 halftime lead behind a career-high 153 yards rushing from Cook — the most in the first half by a running back since his brother Dalvin Cook ran for 153 in 2021 — and three huge mistakes by Dalton. Dalton's first miscue came with the Panthers deep in Buffalo territory. Greg Rousseau stripped the ball, resulting in Christian Benford's recovery. The Bills turned that into Matt Prater's field goal. A short while later Dalton threw a ill-advised screen pass directly into the arms of Bills defensive end A.J. Espenesa, who returned it to Carolina 1, setting up a QB sneak for a score by Allen. With the Panthers (4-4) threatening to score a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half, Dalton took a sack on third down. Without any timeouts, the Panthers rushed their field goal unit on to the field but kicker Ryan Fitzgerald wasn't able to convert a rushed kick from 32 yards and the Panthers went into the locker room down by 16. The Bills extended the lead to 26-3 when Shakir turned a short pass from Allen into a TD. Khalil finished with six catches for 88 yards. Dalton had another fumble that led to Allen's second touchdown run of the game and fell to 1-6 as a starter for the Panthers over the past three seasons. The Panthers were hoping to get to 5-3 for the first time since 2019, but have to regroup following a series of injuries, including three more to the offensive line. “I just have a lot of confidence in this group and the football that we’ve been playing — and knowing that was not us," coach Dave Canales said. “What we put out there today was not us. That was not the ball that we’ve been playing that’s allowed us to have a lot of success. Let’s get refocused and let’s get back to work.” Injuries Bills: Ed Oliver left the game in the first half with a biceps injury, leaving the Bills without both starting defensive tackles. McDermott had no update on his status. DT DaQuan Jones was ruled out before the game Panthers: The Panthers lost three starting offensive linemen during the game — RT Taylor Moton (knee), G Brady Christensen (Achilles) and C Cade Mays (ankle). It's a unit that has struggled with injuries all season and is even thinner now. LB Trevin Wallace left with a concussion in the second half and DE Derrick Brown left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee issue. Up Next Bills: Host Kansas City on Sunday. Panthers: At Green Bay on Sunday. ------ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl