The Series: With the 20-9 victory, the Bills defeated the Panthers for the fourth time in five meetings overall. This was just the second regular-season game between the two teams at Carolina and first in 11 years.
Inactives: The following eight players were inactive for the Panthers: linebacker Thomas Davis, quarterback A.J. Feeley (third quarterback), defensive tackle Nick Hayden, fullback Brad Hoover, safety Keith Lewis, guard Duke Robinson, running back Tyrell Sutton and tackle Garry Williams.
For Starters: Rookie fullback Tony Fiammetta made his first NFL start, starting in place of Brad Hoover, who was out with an injured back. Rookie cornerback Captain Munnerlyn also made his first NFL start as the Panthers opened in a nickel defense. Landon Johnson replaced Thomas Davis, who was inactive because of a hamstring injury, in the starting lineup at weakside linebacker. It was Johnson's first start for Carolina since being signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2008.
Jungle Net: Lost in the defeat was an outstanding defensive effort. The Panthers surrendered a season-low 167 total net yards to the Bills, giving up a season-low 53 rushing yards and 114 net passing yards. Carolina yielded an average of 1.77 rushing yards per attempt on 30 carries, the third-lowest average rushing gain in team history behind the 1.11 yards at Philadelphia (10/27/96) and 1.73 yards at Atlanta (1/1/06). The Panthers limited Buffalo to a 21.4 percent third-down conversion rate as the Bills converted just three-of-14 third-down opportunities. As a result, Carolina allowed a season-low nine first downs - three by rushing, five by passing and one by penalty.
Safety Dance: Defensive tackle Hollis Thomas tackled Bills running back Fred Jackson in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter. It marked the Panthers' second safety this season and eighth in team history. Linebacker Thomas Davis also scored a safety this year when he took down Redskins running back Clinton Portis in the end zone versus Washington (10/11/09). Carolina's two safeties in 2009 equal the team single-season record, previously accomplished in 1996.
Sack Party: The Panthers collected two sacks against the Bills and have gathered 15 this season, including 11 in the last three games. Defensive end Tyler Brayton notched one quarterback takedown, and defensive end Julius Peppers registered his fifth in the last three games. Peppers leads the team with six sacks this season and ranks as the Panthers' all-time leader with 76.5.
On The Offensive: The Panthers tallied 425 total net yards, gaining 116 rushing yards and 309 net passing yards. It marked the second time Carolina has accumulated 400 yards of total offense this season after totaling 440 at Atlanta (9/20/09).
DeAngelo Double Threat: Running back DeAngelo Williams rushed for a team-leading 89 yards and one touchdown - scoring on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter - on 16 attempts. He added five catches for 50 yards to total 149 combined net yards. He leads the Panthers with 461 yards and five touchdowns on 105 carries this season and ranks third on the team with 18 receptions for 173 yards.
Smitty: Wide receiver Steve Smith posted a team-high six catches for 99 yards. He leads the Panthers with 27 receptions for 358 yards this season.
In The Pocket: Quarterback Jake Delhomme completed 27-of-44 passes for 325 yards - all season highs - and no touchdowns with three interceptions to produce a 55.6 quarterback rating. The effort represented Delhomme's second 300-yard passing game this season after throwing for 308 yards at Atlanta (9/20/09). This is the first time he has had multiple 300-yard passing outings in the same season since 2004 when he had four. Delhomme has completed 106-of-177 passes for 1,172 yards and four touchdowns with 13 interceptions this season to generate a 56.5 quarterback rating.
Takeaway/Giveaway: Carolina did not force any turnovers for the second time this season, previously achieved at Dallas (9/28/09). The Panthers turned it over four times on three interceptions and one fumble to finish with a minus-four turnover ratio. The four giveaways led to 17 points for Buffalo. The Panthers have a negative-14 turnover ratio this season, compiling an 0-1 record when being even in turnover margin and a 2-3 record when having a negative turnover margin.
Off The Mark: Kicker John Kasay missed both of his field-goal attempts, missing wide right from 43 yards and wide left from 39 yards. The last time Kasay missed more than one field goal in a game occurred at Arizona (10/9/05) when he was wide left from 53 and 62 yards, and the last time he missed an attempt less than 40 yards happened versus Seattle (12/16/07) when a 37-yard attempt went wide left. Kasay converted his only extra-point opportunity to extend his team-record for consecutive extra points made to 145. He has been successful on four-of-seven field-goal attempts and perfect on all 10 of his extra-point opportunities for 22 points this season.
Baker's Treat: Punter Jason Baker generated a gross average of 41.8 yards and net average of 39.0 yards with two inside the 20, no touchbacks and long of 49 yards on six punts. His gross average fell to 46.8 yards and his net average improved to 35.7 yards with seven punts inside the 20, two touchbacks, one block and long of 61 yards this season.
Claw Marks: Second-year tight end Gary Barnidge caught his first-career pass on a 12-yard reception in the second quarter. He later hauled in a 52-yarder in the third quarter and finished the game with three catches for 77 yards...Tight end Dante Rosario posted three catches for 35 yards, two of which resulted in first downs. Of his 35-career receptions, 26 (74.3 percent) have yielded a first down or touchdown.
Stack Of Bills: Buffalo defensive back Jairus Byrd tied the record for the most interceptions in a game by an opponent with two - previously accomplished 19 times, most recently by Rashad Baker for Oakland (11/9/08)...Byrd also equaled the mark for the third-most interception return yards in a game by an opponent with 67 - previously achieved by Lavar Arrington for Washington (10/21/01)...Bills punter Brian Moorman placed four punts inside the 20 to match the record for the third-most inside-the-20 punts in a game by an opponent - previously accomplished eight times, most recently by Steve Weatherford for New Orleans (12/31/06).
