After a week down south back where Bills head coach Sean McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane made a name for themselves, the team they lead now seemed right at home early on. The Bills led 24-6 at the half.

Leading the way was Josh Allen, who put together a 13-play, 63-yard drive to grab an early 3-0 lead. The Bills defense immediately followed by forcing a three-and-out, then Andre Roberts responded with a thrilling 37-yard punt return to set Buffalo up in prime field position.

The second time around, Allen and the Bills came through with a touchdown. On third down, Allen found rookie tight end Tommy Sweeney for a 25-yard gain to set the Bills up for first and goal from the Caroline 4-yard line. Two plays later, LeSean McCoy punched the ball in for the score.

Carolina was unable to answer on the ensuing drive, as the Bills stuffed the Panthers on 4th-and-2 from the Buffalo 18-yard line with a sack by Trent Murphy.

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) celebrates his touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half an NFL preseason football game, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

On the next drive, Matt Barkley took over at quarterback, ending Allen’s stat line on the night at 9-for-11 for 102 yards and a quarterback rating of 105.3. In his two drives, the Bills scored both times.

Barkley led the Bills into field goal range on his first drive, but Stephen Hauschka missed a 48-yard kick — which a kicker paid his salary should be able to make. His preseason struggles have been alarming, to say the least.

The defense of the Bills came up big once again, forcing another punt. Buffalo gave the ball right back on the next play. Senorise Perry became the second Buffalo running back this preseason to cough up an ugly fumble, just as TJ Yeldon did a week prior.

The Bills defense made sure to erase Perry’s mistake really quickly. Less than a minute later, Panthers rookie quarterback Will Grier was picked off by Kevin Johnson and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. With the injury to EJ Gaines, Johnson is fighting for a starting spot, and a pick-six is a pretty good impression on the coaching staff.

Carolina failed to score on the next 11-play drive. Then, in what ended as the final Buffalo drive of the half, Barkley led the Bills on a six-play, 75-yard drive in 1:20, capped off by an impressive touchdown connection between Barkley and CFL standout Duke Williams. Before that, Isaiah McKenzie put the Bills within striking distance after a bubble screen turned into a 37-yard gain.

Barkley finished the night 8-for-10 with 110 yards and a touchdown. His quarterback rating was 145.8.

The Bills only managed one notable highlight in the second half, as former professional rugby star Christian Wade took a screen pass 48 yards into the redzone. Buffalo later converted a field goal to cap off the scoring for the Bills.

In the end, Buffalo came out on top, 27-14, but what really mattered was how the key players looked early on. From what we saw in the first half, Friday was quite an encouraging sign as the regular season draws near.

Twitter: @bradencarmen