The Buffalo Bills are coming off a hard fall to the Atlanta Falcons on October 13 during Monday Night Football, and they walked out of the stadium with a loss, 24-14. Now, the Bills have a record of 4-2 and are No. 2 in the AFC East, only behind the New England Patriots. It’s not where they want to be, and quarterback Josh Allen and the crew have spent their bye week reflecting and looking ahead.
The Bills’ next game is Sunday, October 26, against the Carolina Panthers, a team that has a record of 4-3. The spread for this game is Bills (-7), but NFL analysts are divided on who will win.
“The Carolina Panthers have had a pretty stellar rushing attack recently, thanks to the emergence of Rico Dowdle,” notes Jon Hoefling of USA Today in a Thursday, October 22 preview feature. “Now they get a Bills defense that has surrendered 5.8 yards per carry on the season (worst in the NFL)? Give me the Panthers all day.”
“The Panthers have played fairly well, particularly at home, where they’re 3-0 against the spread. The Bills are coming off a bye, but their offense has been vulnerable, depending significantly on Josh Allen” adds Lorenzo Reyes in the same piece. “I don’t know that the Panthers win, but I do think they keep this closer, as Buffalo has been overvalued all season long.”
NFL Picks Referee for Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers
When the Bills and Panthers meet up on Sunday, the NFL has announced that Craig Wrolstad will officiate the game, as reported by Football Zebras. According to Kevin Massare of the Bills Roundtable, Wrolstad has “officiated some Bills doozies.”
“The Bills will see Craig Wrolstad officiating the game in Carolina,” Massare notes from NFL research in a post on X. “He officiated the Panthers’ 30-0 home win over the Falcons. He’s called holding 16 times this year in 7 weeks. He called KC for 0 2 weeks ago. Home teams are 5-2 with him this season Josh Allen is 3-5 with him.”
As for those “doozies,” Massare lays out that Wrolstad has officiated “Allen vs Houston road rookie year (elbow injury)” with a loss, “2019 NE loss (Allen concussion + 3 picks)” with a loss, “Hail Murray, Kyler Murray game” with a loss, “Bills OT loss to MIN (Josh fumbled snap at home)” with a loss and “Rams road thriller last year” with a loss.
Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers Game Day Stats
With the Bills now 4-2 and after that surprising loss to the Falcons, it should be no surprise that they’ve taken a hit in NFL power rankings. According to Eric Edholm of the NFL’s official website, the Bills are the ninth best team in the NFL heading into Week 8. They’re down from No. 5 the week prior.
With the Bills now 4-2 and after that surprising loss to the Falcons, it should be no surprise that they’ve taken a hit in NFL power rankings. According to Eric Edholm of the NFL’s official website, the Bills are the ninth best team in the NFL heading into Week 8. They’re down from No. 5 the week prior.
“What we know: Josh Allen isn’t playing at an MVP level, and other offensive pieces aren’t doing their part, either,” Edholm notes in the feature, out Tuesday, October 21. “For all the crying about a need for defensive help, I could make just as good a case Buffalo could use another receiver. Right now, the wideouts are neither winning enough one-on-one battles nor making enough game-changing plays. That’s a big worry for a team that’s trying to fight its way back into first place with a few tough games ahead.”
The Bills will take the stage on the road against the Panthers on Sunday, October 26, and the game starts at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NFL’s Final Decision on Bills vs. Panthers Referee is a ‘Doozie’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.