The Carolina Panthers have been the talk of the town since Bryce Young was benched for Andy Dalton heading into Week 3. The move worked out for the Panthers, as they got their first win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. Dalton finished with three touchdown passes, and people on the team were all smiles. One of those people included Adam Thielen, who injured his hamstring after catching one of Dalton's three touchdowns.

“Andy did a great job of just communicating and leading us and starting fast,” Thielen said. “That was his message to us — we've got to start fast — and he was able to lead that first drive and get that momentum.”

The Panthers did indeed start fast and at one point, had a 33-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Dalton wasn't the only one that contributed to the win, as running back Chuba Hubbard finished with 114 rushing yards, and wide receiver Diontae Johnson finished with eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. That was the Panthers' first game with a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher, and 100-yard receiver since Week 8 of 2022 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Panthers get a fresh start with Andy Dalton at QB

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) takes a moment before the start of the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After the Panthers' win, Andy Dalton spoke about how comfortable he was coming into the game, which led to his three-touchdown performance.

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“That was one of things coming into this, I got a chance to just be me and be out there like how I normally am,” Dalton said. “I'm normally pretty calm, I'm normally relaxed.

“Guys were having fun. I was just trying to make sure guys were having fun, because you put in a ton of work for this thing … and now you get a time to just go and enjoy the work you put in.”

Panthers' head coach Dave Canales also shared his excitement after the game.

“I'm smiling inside,” Canales said. “I'm absolutely beat. This has been an amazing week, but again a really heavy week just with all the factors, just getting back to work and to continue to push to establish our culture and process.”

It has been a long week for the Panthers, as they had to make the decision to bench their 2023 No. 1 draft pick, Bryce Young, who is supposed to be the quarterback of the future for the team. With the success that the Panthers had in Week 2, it's hard to see when or if they will go back to Young, and if they would possibly look to trade him.