The Carolina Panthers finally have an entry in the win column. It took a tough call from Dave Canales to bench Bryce Young and have Andy Dalton start but they did it. This win against the Antonio Pierce-led Las Vegas Raiders now puts them at a 1-2 record for the regular season. It might have just been a small 36-22 victory but their veteran signal-caller could not help but get emotional amid the rough week that they had, via Joe Person of The Athletic.
“It definitely was a heavy week, and hard on a lot of people. Bryce and I have conversations about this whole thing. Those conversations stay between us,” Andy Dalton said.
Dave Canales' quarterback popped off in every way imaginable against the Raiders. He darted 26 of his 37 passing attempts to rack in a huge total of 319 yards. He also toyed with Antonio Pierce's defense by recording three touchdowns while not being forced to throw a single interception in this game. Overall, it was a tremendous performance from him which gave the Panthers a momentum-swinging 36-22 win.
Andy Dalton gets real on the Panthers' situation with Bryce Young
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A tough pill had to be swallowed by none other than the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. The fact that the Panthers won without him as the lead signal-caller could mean a lot of things. However, Dalton made it clear that he along with Canales believes that the young gun could improve more such that he gets the starting spot back in the middle of the season.
“Bryce has been awesome. It's a tough situation for everybody. I have a different perspective because I have felt it on both sides. It's tough, but you find the little things that you can focus on to get better and you continue to do what you can do,” he declared.
For now, it looks very clear that Dalton will be the starter if the Panthers want to win. Will they continue this momentum moving forward?