Final score, recap, highlights: Carolina Panthers 21, Buffalo Bills 0

The Buffalo Bills preseason had gone smoothly through two games. Buffalo defeated the Indianapolis Colts with a comeback and game-winning field goal. The Bills first-team offense looked superb in a trouncing of the Denver Broncos.

Then news broke that rookie punter Matt Araiza was accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl in a civil lawsuit that stems from his time at San Diego State. The Bills had recently released incumbent punter Matt Haack, giving Araiza the starting job.

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More:Why NFL won't suspend Matt Araiza for alleged rape, Aaron Donald for helmet swing in brawl

More:Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza accused of participating in rape of 17-year-old girl

Final: Carolina Panthers 21, Buffalo Bills 0

Buffalo's 10-game preseason winning streak is snapped. There were only 429 combined total yards in the game. Buffalo quarterback Matt Barkley completed 9 of 13 passes for 100 yards and Raheem Blackshear rushed for a game-high 47 yards.

Sam Darnold carted off field with ankle injury - 3:23 3rd quarter

Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold was carted off the field. Darnold was pulled to the ground by Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer as he threw a pass and his legs crumpled under Brewer. Darnold stayed on the ground and was tended to be trainers until a cart came out. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who is friends with Darnold, visited Darnold on the field after he was loaded onto the cart.

Sam Darnold rushes for touchdown - Panthers 21, Bills 0

Sam Darnold orchestrated a 10-play, 45-yard drive and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run. John Hekker filled in for injured Zane Gonzalez with the extra point.

Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez carted off field

Zane Gonzalez was injured while warming up and kicking practice balls into a net on the Panthers' sideline. He went down on the ground and was tended to by a trainer before a cart came to take him into the locker room.

Bills turn ball over on downs to start second half - 12:07 3rd quarter

Raheem Blackshear opened the second half with a 12-yard run but Buffalo was unable to gain another first down. The Bills went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Panther's 46-yard line but Matt Barkley was dropped for a 9-yard sack by Marquan McCall.

Halftime: Panthers 14, Bills 0

Baker Mayfield threw for two touchdowns before he was replaced by Sam Darnold and Buffalo was shut out in the first half. Case Keenum went 8 of 13 for 46 yards and an interception and the Bills had 89 total yards.

Bills come up empty on 20-play drive - 1:35 2nd quarter

Buffalo put together a 20-play drive that lasted 10 minutes, 34 seconds but could not score. The Bills converted two fourth downs on the possession but running back Duke Johnson was stuffed for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Panthers' 8-yard line.

Baker Mayfield throws second touchdown of the half - Panthers 14, Bills 0

It only took Carolina three plays to take advantage of the turnover. Mayfield connected with Shi Smith on his third read for a 19-yard touchdown.

Case Keenum throws an interception - 13:44 2nd quarter

Case Keenum was picked off by safety Jeremy Chinn on the Bills' first play of the possession. The ball was batted by two Carolina defenders before it landed in the hands of Chinn.

It's Keenum's third interception of the preseason. Carolina takes over at the Bills' 27-yard line. Buffalo's offense has only run 10 plays so far.

Bills hurt by another penalty, Barkley boots 53-yard punt

Buffalo attempted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from its 44-yard line but Tanner Owen was called for a false start. That set up the Bills' most exciting play so far: a punt by Matt Barkley. The backup quarterback angled a punt along the right sideline and it was downed at the Panthers' 8-yard line.

Baker Mayfield throws fourth-down TD pass - Panthers 7, Bills 0

Baker Mayfield tossed a 2-yard touchdown to running back D'Onta Foreman to open the scoring. A offsides penalty by defensive end Boogie Basham negated a fourth-down stop and great play by Shaq Lawson, who chased down Baker Mayfield for a sack. That gave Carolina a fresh set of downs at the Bills' 10. Mayfield completed to tight end Tommy Tremble for 7 yards, Foreman rushed for 2 yards and then Foreman was stuffed for a 1-yard loss to set up the fourth down before the score.

Matt Barkley steps in to punt for the Bills - 12:35 1st quarter

Backup quarterback Matt Barkley is taking over punting duties in the absence of Matt Araiza. Barkley's first punt went 33 yards and was returned 5 yards to the Panthers' 47.

Carolina goes three-and-out to start game - 14:01 1st quarter

Carolina's offense took the field for the first time since naming Baker Mayfield its starting quarterback. Mayfield went 1 of 3 for 8 yards on the opening drive with rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam breaking up a third-down pass. John Hekker punted 43 yards to the Bills' 25-yard line.

Bills vs. Panthers delayed due to lightning

Kickoff has been delayed from it's 7 p.m. scheduled time due to a shelter-in-place protocol. Lightning was detected near Bank of America Stadium. The teams took the field at 7:21 and will have a 10-minute warmup. The game is now slated to begin at 7:36 p.m.

Matt Araiza will not play against Panthers

Araiza traveled with the team on Thursday, when news broke of the lawsuit, but will not play in the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Carolina Panthers 21, Buffalo Bills 0: Final score, recap, highlights