The Buffalo Bills played the first game in their new stadium on Saturday, August 15, beating the Carolina Panthers 29-14 in a preseason opener at the $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. It was also the first game of Joe Brady's tenure as head coach.
Josh Allen played into the second quarter and went 6 of 8 for 111 yards. He opened the building with a 21-yard completion to Khalil Shakir on the first snap, and closed his night with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman. Tyler Bass hit a 33-yard field goal on the opening drive. Ian Wheeler and Frank Gore Jr. added fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns.
Carolina scored on a 6-yard pass from Kenny Pickett to Ja'Seem Reed and a 9-yard pass from Kyle Trask to John Metchie. The Panthers were without right tackle Taylor Moton, who is dealing with a blood clot in a lung, and left tackle Ickey Ekwonu with a knee injury; guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis were held out. "Obviously not the start we wanted, not the drives we wanted," quarterback Bryce Young said. "It's part of the process."
D.J. Moore's debut, cut short
D.J. Moore, acquired from the Chicago Bears this offseason, caught three passes for 61 yards in his first Buffalo appearance. He came up limping after a catch, and trainers examined his right foot and lower right leg on the sideline. He did not return in the second half; Brady said Moore told him he was "good to go." Shakir called the catch "football art, right? It's beautiful." Allen said Moore is "a heck of a football player and we're lucky to have him."
A new building and a new staff at once
The stadium replaces the Bills' longtime home across the parking lot in Orchard Park; the two structures stood side by side through construction.
The coaching change is more recent. Buffalo fired Sean McDermott after nine seasons in January and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach later that month. Saturday was his first game in the role. The last time the Bills won a game that counted, it was a 27-24 wild-card win over Jacksonville under the previous staff, in the previous building.
Source: John Wawrow, Associated Press
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