On Sunday afternoon, the Buffalo Bills hit the road to take on the Carolina Panthers, looking to get back in the win column after two straight puzzling losses followed by a bye week. The Bills got off to a good start in this one, taking a 19-3 lead into halftime in what was a dominant defensive performance that had some fans clamoring for Andy Dalton to be benched for the Panthers.
It was a dominant defensive performance for Bills star Ed Oliver in the first half, but unfortunately, he didn't make it through the game unscathed from an injury perspective.
“A potentially significant one for the #Bills defense: DT Ed Oliver was ruled out with a biceps injury against the #Panthers,” reported Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter.
Oliver has been a crucial piece for the Bills this year, including causing a tide-turning fumble against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 that helped Buffalo come back and win that game.
However, over the last two weeks, the Bills' defense has been much more questionable, surrendering a huge game to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye as well as a big game from the Atlanta Falcons' offense two weeks ago. Oliver has dealt with injury concerns this season, and the bye week certainly came at a good time for the team from that perspective.
Overall, the Bills certainly needed a performance like the one they had in the first half against the Panthers to reset themselves and get back in the win column after a rough few weeks that saw more questions than answers from the national media.
In any case, at the conclusion of the Panthers game, up next for the Bills will be a home game against the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.
