With three impressive back-to-back wins, the Carolina Panthers have been giving their opponents a tough time. Now, head coach Dave Canales’ squad has its sights set on the strong team, the Buffalo Bills, in Week 8. And to get a win this time, the Panthers’ newest acquisition, quarterback Mike White, has a strong message for the coach.

“Stop Josh Allen,” he told the reporters. “That’s really what it comes down to, right?”

The QB has spent the entire 2024 season on the practice squad and the 2025 offseason with the Bills. He knows a thing or two about the Bills and the 2024 MVP player. During his time with the Bills, he lost the backup QB position to Mitch Trubisky. Now, with the Panthers, he recalled what he had learned from his time with Allen and the team.

“He’s so talented at extending plays and all that good stuff, and he’s so smart on the line of scrimmage, which I don’t think he gets enough credit for it. He does get credit for it, but unless you’re truly in the day-to-day with him, it’s silly to see how he operates and works that you can’t have enough appreciation for it.”

Allen’s squad will arrive at the Bank of America Stadium with an extra motivation to end their two-game losing streak. Not to mention, the squad had its much-needed rest in the bye week. From run defense to the issues on offense, there’s much for the Bills to fix before Week 8.

The Bills have never suffered three straight losses with Josh Allen leading the offense. The only time that happened was back in 2018, during his rookie season, but even then, Allen wasn’t on the field for most of it. He had injured his throwing elbow and missed those last three games of that four-game skid. That means he will surely look to avoid another loss.

On the other hand, Coach Canales’ team has consistently dominated on the ground, rushing for 981 yards this season. With running backs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard forming a powerful duo, Carolina has the tools to limit Josh’s time on the field. That starts with owning the clock and running the ball like they’ve been doing lately.

Over the last three games, Carolina has piled up 580 rushing yards, leaning on that tough two-back combo. Dowdle ran for 79 yards on 17 carries last week, while Hubbard chipped in 31 on 14. It’s the right game plan, too, because Buffalo’s defense has been vulnerable against the run, sitting 31st in the league and giving up over 156 yards a game.

And with all the knowledge that White has of the Bills, coach Canales will know better how to approach the Week 8 opponent.  This is why the Panthers had added White to the practice squad. After their quarterback, Bryce Young, went down with an ankle injury in Week 7, the Panthers brought in White for help. He has a career completion rate of 61.4%, throwing for 2,247 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. But apart from it, the coach has a different job for White.

Dave Canales gets real on acquiring Josh Allen’s former teammate

Canales didn’t shy away from explaining the reason behind White’s acquisition. The team wanted as much information as possible to prepare the roster for the upcoming challenges, and White, having worked closely with the team before, fits that role perfectly.

“My experience and history of just watching him—really fluid throwing motion, a guy that’s got experience, has played some pretty important games over the course of his career,” Canales replied. “So the experience is a great thing. Heard a lot of good stuff about him, his reputation preceding him coming this way. And he was interested in coming and being here in case we get to a situation where we might need him long-term….He’s got a little bit of Bills background, too. So just trying to compete in any which way we can.”

White is likely to serve as Andy Dalton’s backup if Young is unavailable. But according to some reports, Hendon Hooker might serve as the primary backup to Dalton.

Nevertheless, whoever comes in as the starter, the Panthers are ready for Week 8. Should the Bills be worried? Perhaps not. Besides Carolina, the Bills have also added linebacker Shaq Thompson earlier in the offseason, who spent his entire career in Carolina. He has also played under coach Canales in his first year and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for two years.

The Bills have their own sources as well, but it’s clear both teams have adjusted their strategies. Even with all the intel, surprises cannot be ruled out.