Panthers vs. Bills prediction, pick, odds for Saturday’s NFL Preseason Week 3 game

Ricky Henne's Panthers vs. Bills Preview

The Panthers desperately need to see Bryce Young take a step forward. Actually, not just a step forward but a massive step forward. He completed only 59% of his passes for ,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 33.4 QBR that ranked 29th in the league. Not surprisingly, Carolina had the worst passing offense by far according to DVOA (-27.3%).

The Panthers cleaned house this offseason, hiring renowned QB whisperer Dave Canales as head coach. We don’t know how much progress has been made yet, as they still haven’t unleashed Young in preseason play.  They will this week, though, as the team’s starters are finally set to see their first action in the third and final game.

Why wait so long?

Canales told the media it’s because he wanted to wait until they had a full “grasp of the system.” Well, it sounds like they are ready now.

Meanwhile, there's not much that really needs to be said about a Buffalo Bills team that’s a far cry from what we’ll see come the regular season. They are hardly even a shell of their usual squad. Several key Bills reserves have suffered injuries, meaning the majority of those suiting up are third, fourth and fifth stringers

The team’s QB play might be the biggest warning sign in backing them. Mitch Trubisky is out for a few weeks with a knee injury, while Shane Buechele suffered a neck injury that landed him on IR. The latter forced Buffalo to sign Ben DeNucci last week, and then make a similar move on Wednesday, adding former Baltimore Raven Anthony Brown Jr. That means Buffalo will be led by a pair of passers who have been on the team for a combined 18 days.

How to Watch Panthers vs. Bills: Start Time, Channel, Location

Panthers vs. Bills will be broadcasted live on NFL Network, as well as local television coverage. Panthers-Bills is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

My Panthers vs. Bills Prediction: Carolina to Cover the Spread

Canales' comments about holding his starters back until they fully grasped the system and were ready to execute seemed like pretty bold statements in my book. He believes we’re not seeing a team trying to work out the kinks. Instead, he’s saying we’ll see one who is ready to execute at a proper level.

Compare that to the Bills trotting out a bunch of players who will be filing for unemployment next week, and I’m rolling with the Panthers to cover the spread in this spot.

Pick: Panthers -4.5 (-110)

Panthers vs. Bills Betting Trends

• 74% of bets and 74% of the money are on the Bills to cover the spread.
• 67% of bets and 65% of the money are on the under.

All data via Action Network's public betting percentages and as of Friday evening.