The Buffalo Bills beat the Carolina Panthers 29-14 in a preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, the first-ever NFL game at the team’s new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York — and new head coach Joe Brady’s debut on the sideline.
Key facts
- Final score: Bills 29, Panthers 14 (preseason, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026)
- Venue: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York — the first NFL game played there
- Coach: Joe Brady’s debut as head coach, promoted from offensive coordinator on Jan. 27, 2026
- Josh Allen: 6 of 8 passing, 111 yards, 1 touchdown, over two drives
- DJ Moore: 3 catches for 61 yards in his Bills debut
- Stadium cost: roughly $2.1 billion, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office
- Next Bills game: Aug. 22 at Cleveland Browns
- First regular-season game at Highmark: Sept. 17 vs. Detroit
Brady’s debut
Brady, promoted from offensive coordinator to Buffalo’s head coach on Jan. 27, 2026, had said beforehand that healthy starters, including quarterback Josh Allen, would play. Afterward he said the game-day routine felt familiar: “It was good. Still figuring out where I want to stand and all that, but I felt like our tempo in and out of the huddle, our communication with the sidelines… I felt good about it.” He also pointed to the small stuff: “Every little detail matters in these moments. I’m sitting there trying to make sure that my communication and the buttons on my headset are exactly how I wanted.” In the fourth quarter, with Buffalo leading 29-7, Brady challenged a down-by-contact ruling, taking input from Josh Allen on the sideline.
Allen and Moore lead the offense
Allen played Buffalo’s first two offensive drives and made the most of them, completing 6 of 8 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. He opened with completions of 21 yards to Khalil Shakir and 32 yards to new receiver DJ Moore, then found Keon Coleman for a 9-yard touchdown in the first quarter on a scramble-drill play after rolling right. Coleman finished with three catches for 17 yards and the score; one injury report said he later left the game with a lower-body injury not believed to be serious.
Moore, acquired by Buffalo from the Chicago Bears this year in a trade that sent a second-round pick to Chicago in exchange for Moore and a fifth-round pick, caught three passes for 61 yards in his Bills debut, including an 18-yard catch on third-and-15.
One injury report said Moore came up limping and left the game during Buffalo’s second drive, walking off under his own power; the exact nature of the injury wasn’t confirmed. Brady said afterward he wasn’t especially worried: “When I talked with him, he said he was good, so we’ll see what tomorrow looks like.” Moore is no stranger to Brady: the two worked together in Carolina in 2020 and 2021, when Brady was the Panthers’ offensive coordinator.
Reserves seal the win
With the starters done for the day, Buffalo’s reserves pulled away in the fourth quarter. Running back Ian Wheeler scored on a 6-yard run and Frank Gore Jr. added a 3-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 29-7 — Carolina had already gotten on the board with Kenny Pickett’s touchdown pass to Ja’Seem Reed — before Kyle Trask’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to John Metchie III made it 29-14.
Carolina’s day
Carolina’s day started rough and ended better. Starting quarterback Bryce Young went 3 of 5 for 18 yards across three three-and-out series before giving way to backup Kenny Pickett. “Obviously not the start we wanted, not the drives we wanted,” Young said. Pickett settled things down, going 16 of 19 for 92 yards and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Seem Reed. Third-string quarterback Kyle Trask added a 9-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie III late in the fourth quarter. Running back Jonathon Brooks played in his first game since December 2024, picking up 14 yards on four touches.
Buffalo’s new-look defense
Buffalo’s new-look defense set the tone. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard installed a 3-4 base scheme this offseason, and it produced results in its first test: rookie edge rusher TJ Parker got his first career sack, Mike Danna added two sacks in the fourth quarter, and second-year lineman Deone Walker recorded a sack and a tackle for loss. Undrafted rookie cornerback Kani Walker read a screen pass to intercept Trask in the fourth quarter — the first interception ever recorded at Highmark Stadium, and Carolina’s only turnover of the day. “That’s a high level play from a guy that’s a ‘rook’ and I’m happy for him,” Brady said. Rookie Toriano Pride Jr. led Buffalo with six tackles. Kicker Tyler Bass made three of four field goals — from 33, 46 and 29 yards, missing from 45 — and both extra points.
What’s next
The win came at Buffalo’s new, roughly $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium, built next to the old one, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office. Saturday’s game was a preseason tune-up; the Bills’ next preseason game is against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 22, and Highmark Stadium’s first regular-season game is set for Sept. 17 against Detroit.
Sources and further reading
- Touchdown! Governor Hochul, Buffalo Bills and Erie County Announce Completion of New $2.1 Billion Highmark Stadium
- Bills 29, Panthers 14 | Final score, game highlights, key stats | Preseason Week 1
- Where to watch, stream & listen | Bills vs. Panthers | 2026 Preseason Week 1
- Bears trading WR DJ Moore to Bills; teams to swap 2026 NFL Draft picks
- Buffalo Bills officially acquire wide receiver DJ Moore from Bears via trade
- Buffalo Bills announce Sean McDermott has been relieved of his duties as head coach
- ‘Definitely helps my confidence’ | Bills react to Week 1 preseason victory in first game at Highmark Stadium