Josh Allen gets comfortable in Bills' new stadium with TD pass in 29-14 preseason win over Panthers

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — New Buffalo Bills stadium. Same Josh Allen.

Allen displayed his familiar strong arm and elusive scrambling abilities on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman in the Bills' 29-14 preseason-opening win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.

The outing was the Bills' first competitive game in their new $2.1 billion stadium built across the street from the team’s former home.

It was also their first outing under new coach Joe Brady, who replaced Sean McDermott in January, and elected to play his starters to get accustomed to their new digs and coaching staff.

It didn’t take long for Allen to get comfortable in overseeing scoring drives on each of his two series. On the first offensive snap, he faked a handoff to James Cook before hitting Khalil Shakir on a crossing route for a 21-yard gain on a drive ending with Tyler Bass' 33-yard field goal.

Allen was 6 for 8 for 111 yards. On the touchdown to Coleman, Allen rolled to his right, evaded linebacker Trevis Gipson by stepping back toward the middle and throwing across his body to hit the open receiver.

The Bills appear to have avoided a scare when receiver DJ Moore, the team’s prized offseason trade acquisition, came up limping after an 18-yard catch along the left sideline, a play before Coleman scored.

Trainers and a team doctor focused on examining Moore’s lower right leg and foot before the player put back on his shoe. It’s unclear if he would have resumed playing, because Buffalo’s backups took over on the next series. Moore finished the game on the sideline in shorts and running shoes.

Bryce Young and the Panthers starters, meantime, sputtered in making their preseason debut — and after sitting out Carolina’s 33-30 win over Arizona in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 6.

The Panthers went three-and-out and combined for 11 yards on three series with Young under center. Young finished 3 of 5 for 18 yards. He played in front of a revamped line with both projected starting tackles Ickey Ekwonu (knee) and Taylor Moton (blood clot/lung) sidelined. Carolina also held out both starting guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.

Young's primary backup Kenny Pickett closed the first half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Seem Reed. Pickett finished 16 of 19 for 92 yards on three drives spanning halftime. Kyle Trask mopped up and competed a 9-yard TD pass to John Metchie in the final minute.

Ian Wheeler and Frank Gore Jr. accounted for Buffalo's other touchdowns with scoring runs four minutes apart in the fourth quarter.

In missing a 45-yard field-goal attempt wide right, Bass was 3 of 4 in his first game setting since Buffalo’s preseason finale a year ago. The sixth-year player missed all of last season with pelvis and hip issues.

With Panthers starting running back Chuba Hubbard nursing a hamstring injury, Jonathon Brooks started in his first competitive setting since being sidelined by a knee injury three games into his rookie season in 2024. Brooks, a second-round pick out of Texas, had three carries for 5 yards, and also had a 9-yard catch.

A bright sunny day and the Erie County Fair taking place down the street led to a less-than-capacity turnout. Though a majority of the seats at Highmark have been sold, the stadium appeared less than 75% full in the first quarter. And there were many more empty seats after halftime.

The outline of the Bills’ charging buffalo logo, at midfield, and the words “Bills” have been added to each end zone, though have yet to be colored in. Those represent additions since the team held its first practice in the new stadium last weekend.

Buffalo is scheduled to practice in the new stadium on Tuesday and closes its preseason schedule by hosting Pittsburgh on Aug. 27. The Bills' home opener is against Detroit on Sept. 17.

Panthers: At Jacksonville on Friday night.

Bills: Travel to Cleveland for joint scrimmage on Thursday, and preseason game on Aug. 22.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes around Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker (96) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Fans find their seats in Highmark Stadium before a preseason NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young throws a pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) signals for a first down after a penalty during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Hurricane Lala took aim at Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday on a forecast track for possible landfall, which would be the island's first direct hit from a hurricane in 155 years.

The National Hurricane Center said Lala’s maximum sustained winds increased to 75 mph (120 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane. The eyewall was forecast to move over or near the island’s southern end by the evening, lashing its worst winds at volcanic slopes thousands of feet above sea level.

Forecasters said higher elevations on the island, dominated by the towering Mauna Kea volcano, could get as much as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) of rain.

That could cause life-threatening mudslides in a mountainous area where people live off the grid in improvised housing, and authorities urged them to find safe shelters quickly.

Bobby Camara, a 75-year-old lifelong resident of the Big Island, said he planned to “hunker down, cross my fingers, hope the lights don’t go out” at a care home just outside Hilo. He said gas stations were busy as people sought fuel for chain saws and vehicles.

“I think stocking up is part of life over here. ... You learn to be self-reliant,” Camara said.

Gov. Josh Green described it as an “enormous storm,” and warned of destructive flooding and even the possibility of wildfires kicked up by strong winds across the island chain. Electricity was knocked out for 10% of customers on the Big Island, according to poweroutage.us.

Mike Caputo, who lives in Keaau, near the island's east coast, said the main concern was flash flooding and fallen trees, especially albizia, a common tree.

“They’re not very sturdy, but they grow extremely large,” said Caputo, 50, a local fire captain. “They can make roads impassable. I made sure my trees were trimmed a few days ago.”

The Big Island was under a hurricane warning, and tropical storm warnings were issued for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.

A Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the Big Island in 1871, according to research by a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist. The latest forecast has Lala striking “very close to the southern tip of the Big Island,” said Vanessa Almanza, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu.

Shelters were opened, events were canceled and ranchers were urged to leave their cattle in pastures, rather than structures that might collapse. “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza said.

The hurricane center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of total rainfall across Maui and the lower elevations of the Big Island, and 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) across the island chain.

State Rep. Jeanné Kapela called for people to remain alert. The southern end of the island is remote and rural, with agriculture including coffee and cattle, but it's growing in population because of its affordability. Kapela was especially worried about people who live off the grid.

“If you feel now that your house doesn’t have a great roof or might not be able to withstand hurricane force winds, then first things first you go to a family or friend’s house and you kind of hunker down there,” she said in a text message to The Associated Press.

Many Hawaiians are still dealing with the aftermath of devastating floods in March. Growers still recovering are worried about more damage, according to Hawaii Farm Bureau director Brian Miyamoto.

As winds ramped up across the islands, Almanza said dry and breezy conditions outside the storm would elevate fire concerns.

In 2023 the Maui town of Lahaina burned during extreme winds as a hurricane passed far to the south.

“Since the fire, everybody is way more aware of weather in general and our environment and things that are happening,” said Archie Kalepa of Lahaina, who is well known in the area for his surfing, paddling and other ocean skills.

Kauai, which is several islands northwest up the archipelago from the Big Island, is where Hurricane Iniki made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in 1992 — an El Nino year like this one, when a warming of the Pacific near the equator increases Pacific hurricane activity and affects weather patterns across the globe.

“It did $3 billion worth of damage. It destroyed thousands of homes, and it did kill six people,” said Steven Businger, the University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist. “We just can never know if a storm is going to turn.”

Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu contributed.

Sandbags are seen at a Hawaii County Department of Public Works sand pile ahead of Tropical Storm Lala in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. The tropical storm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches Hawaii, with up to 25 inches of rain possible on the island of Hawaii, also commonly known as the Big Island. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Casey Delaries makes a sandbag in preparation for Tropical Storm Lala in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. The tropical storm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches Hawaii, with up to 25 inches of rain possible on the island of Hawaii, also commonly known as the Big Island. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Shaheer Faltas, left, and his father-in-law, Joe Brosnan, fill sandbags in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Lala in Captain Cook, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lala over the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (NOAA via AP)