Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers travelled north to Buffalo to play the Bills on Sunday and the team left with a devastating loss, as EJ Manuel won his first game as a quarterback with a last second touchdown to Stevie Johnson to seal the game.
The Bills lost at the last-second against the New England Patriots last week with a field goal and on Sunday it was their turn to play spoiler, as Manuel hit Johnson wide open in the endzone with just two seconds left to get the victory. Cam Newton didn't get a chance to answer after the kickoff, as the Bills sacked him to end the game and now the Bills are riding high at 1-1, while the Panthers are now 0-2 and could be on their way to another disastrous start to the year. Doug Marrone earned his first win since being hired from Syracuse and CJ Spiller broke out to the happiness of fantasy owners with over 100 yards rushing in the game.
The game was on the arm of Manuel, as he directed the team on a game-winning drive at the end to take the lead and he only missed on two of eight passes and was able to connect with Johnson, who got open after a corner got mixed up on the coverage. The Panthers got hit with a late penalty and Johnson made up for the winning touchdown pass he previously dropped way back when and Manuel finished the day with nearly 300 yards passing and that bested Newton, who passed for 229 yards and two scores in the game.
Buffalo outscored the Panthers in the second half and Johnson ended up with a big game after making eight catches for 111 yards and one touchdown and Spiller finished with 103 yards on the ground at a very good six yards per carry average and he also made four catches for 26 yards, giving fantasy owners some production after a rough opening week. This is the type of game the Bills expect from Spiller and he was very good late in the game as well, giving Manuel a consistent receiver and rushing game to rely on. Johnson has been the best offensive player for the Bills and he showed why on Sunday after he made a great play to get open on the final touchdown.
The Panthers schedule doesn't get much easier after losses to Seattle and Buffalo, as a trip to New York is next before the bye week and then the team plays at the Cardinals and the Vikings before coming home to play the Rams. The team has yet to play a divisional game and will have Tampa Bay and Atlanta in consecutive weeks before a huge game on the road against the San Francisco 49ers in the Bay area.
The Panthers closed the season with a strong stretch last year and they have tough games, including Monday night in Week 11 against the Patriots and a road game against Miami before playing at home against Tampa Bay. They play the Saints twice in three weeks to finish the season along with the Jets and Falcons to close out the 2013 schedule.