It took three weeks but the Panthers finally woke up from hibernation.
Prior to the start of Week 3, the Panthers offense was anemic and a shell of its self. They found the end zone just one time this season. No one could mistake them for the greatest show on turf, which was the moniker of the St. Louis Rams. But in their initial drive without the struggling Bryce Young at the controls, it ended in a touchdown. They started a new culture and came away with their first victory since December 31, 2023 and their first road win in a hostile environment since the end of the 2022 campaign, defeating Gardner Minshew and the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22 at Allegiant Stadium.
Dave Canales, the first-year coach who earned his first victory, dodged several questions about how much credit Dalton deserved.
“I felt like the whole group in general showed up ready,” said the Southern California native, who had several family members, including his parents, at the game. “This is a really serious and really focused group and something I’ve had to get used to because I’m so high energy. I want things to be a party all the time. This group is like, ‘Coaches, tell us what you need and we’ll do it.’”
Young, who was the former No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Alabama, was benched on Wednesday after the struggles from his rookie year carried over into his sophomore season. You could tell that his confidence was broken, and he was constantly worried about making a mistake. Fourteen-year veteran quarterback Andy Dalton got the start and made the most of it right away, guiding the Panthers to their first lead and win of the 2024 campaign.
Embed from Getty Images“The way this game went today is exactly how you want it to go,” said Dalton, who improved to 4-0 against the Raiders. “They’re not all going to go this way, but for us to come out and do what we did, it shows the potential of what we can be.”
Dalton and the offense took the ball and methodically moved it down the field for 70 yards in nine plays in a series that was capped with a 6-yard pass to running back Chuba Hubbard. The Raiders responded by tying things up in the opening quarter with an Alexander Mattison 2-yard rushing touchdown, but it did not take Dalton long at all to answer.
“I feel like we all played as one today,” Hubbard said. “Obviously, we faced a lot of adversity early on this year. But keep trusting the coaching and keep trusting each other, and it all came together for us.”
Dalton marched 75 yards down the field and connected with wide receiver Diontae Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown to regain the lead. Carolina extended their advantage to 14 points and Dalton was spreading the wealth, getting everyone in the offense involved, throwing his third touchdown of the day to the third different player before the first half was over.
This time it was Adam Thielen scoring on a 31-yard bomb. The Panthers 21 points at the half were more than the scores of their first two games, combined.
Dalton concluded the game displaying pinpoint accuracy, going an efficient 26 of 37 with 319 yards, 74 more yards than Young’s first two games totaled. He trusted his pass catchers and it showed, accumulating more yards in the first half than Young had in either game this year. Young went 31 of 56 with 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions in the first two weeks, including a pick on his first drive of the season, which was a sign of things to come.
At this point, the job is now Dalton’s to lose.
“The scheme wasn’t good enough, the design of the plays wasn’t good enough today, what we thought was going to work didn’t work and, on the grass, we didn’t execute,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “Nor did we put forth the effort, to me, that we put up in games past.”
Before Sunday, the only trip to the end zone for the Panthers this year was a 3-yard rush by Young. Their only other scores they generated through two weeks were a pair of field goals.
Before he was given the quick hook, Young went a dismal 2-16 in 18 starts with 3,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In 14 years in the NFL, Dalton has an 83-78-2 record as a starter, with 38,511 yards, 246 touchdowns and 144 interceptions.
The Panthers host Joe Borrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The Raiders continue their homestand and host Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
