Thursday, September 12, 2013

Fowler and Sorensen pick Carolina-Buffalo game



Columnist Tom Sorensen (left) and myself pick the winner and the score of the Panthers-Bills game on Sunday in the video above.

If you think you have it bad as a Carolina Panther fan, you may want to take some "misery loves company" solace in what has happened to Buffalo.

The Bills haven't made the playoffs since after the 1999 season -- easily the longest playoff drought in the NFL. To put that in perspective, Cam Newton was 10 years old when the Bills got in, only to lose on the "Music City Miracle."

Long gone are the glory days of the early 1990s, when the Bills and quarterback Jim Kelly made four straight Super Bowls (but lost them all). The Bills haven't even had a winning season since 2004. At least the Panthers last made the playoffs in 2008; that's a whole lot better than 1999.

With all that said, these two franchises do have a lot of things in common this season entering this game. Here are three of them:

1) Both teams led at home in Week 1 entering the fourth quarter, only to lose in a fashion their fans found all too familiar to fall to 0-1.

2) Both quarterbacks (Newton and E.J. Manuel) threw for 150 yards or less without an interception in the opener and didn't have a pass play of longer than 30 yards, prompting all sorts of questions this week about "stretching the field."

3) Both teams ran the ball last week for almost exactly the same number of yards (134 for Carolina, 136 for Buffalo).

-- The Panthers lost to a rookie quarterback last season in Russell Wilson, but I don't think Manuel is as good as Wilson and won't play as mistake-free if Carolina can put pressure on him. I think Carolina will win this game by virtue of its dominating defense.



-- My prediction: Carolina 24, Buffalo 14. Tom's pick: Carolina 24, Buffalo 21.

11 comments:

Scott said...

Doggone, Tom. You kicking smack?

Buckley said...

Panthers on the road at a hostile environment like The Ralph? You guys don't know anything, do you...

Buckley said...

27-19 Bills

AC said...

Well said Buck, Bills roll in this one.

Anonymous said...

Shocker - two idiotic, unabashedly biased Observer reporters pick Carolina. As a Bills fan I could care if the Panther's folded up their tent and left town tomorrow, but I've been reading Scott and Tom's columns for years - you two are terrible, just terrible. You write with such a blind fanatic ferver for the crap the Panther's sell that you might as well be on the payroll and write for the team website. Is there anyone in this town that will hold the Panther's accountable? Cam Newton can lose year after year and on top of that charge for autographs at SouthPark Mall (a truly dark day that barely got a peep) and the voices at the Observer are still singing happy tunes. Bills 34 - Panthers 17

Anonymous said...

I don't know what's more embarrassing you're all Bills fans, or that you're Bills fans reading the Charlotte Observer, which I'll admit is an awful publication.

Zach said...

I have to agree with the last anonymous comment (10:41). Bills fans, seriously, have a winning season first before you talk all that smack. Yes, they are biased, but they live in CHARLOTTE!!!! I've seen plenty of articles where Tom/Scott are hard on the franchise and I don't always agree with them, but after watching the Patriots barely beat the Jets...yeah, the JETS....last night, the Patriots clearly aren't the Pats of old, so don't get all cocky because you actually hung with them through 3+ quarters. Let's see you post again here on Monday morning....

amused said...

The "Yes men" have spoken. If you need further information, you can find them in the lap of Mr. Richardson or at the press buffet.

Anonymous said...

To all the Bills fans, Fowler and Sorenson have picked against the Panthers many times. A hostile environment? You guys just barely avoided being blacked out. And it's just the second week of the season.

Anonymous said...

Go stick your mutton heads back in the sand Buffalo Bill fans....The Panthers defense romp in this game and the offense jells.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm ... silence from all those Panthers fans predicting a "romp." How's 0-2 feel?