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David Newton, editor at ESPN
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales was impressed with how quarterback Bryce Young performed in his first game back after being replaced, but the reason he switched to Andy Dalton also applies to Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Andy is our quarterback,” Canales said Monday, less than 24 hours after Dalton helped him to his first win as an NFL head coach. “He gives us the best chance to win. That’s our approach as we prepare for the Bengals.”
Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
He breathed life into a listless offense that ranked 32nd in the NFL with 176 yards and 6.5 points per game in Young’s first two games.
The Panthers finished the game with 437 yards and their second-highest total in the last five seasons. They had their first game with a 300-yard passer (Dalton), 100-yard rusher (Chuba Hubbard) and 100-yard receiver (Diontae Johnson) since Week 8 of 2022.
“We just wanted to do everything right, hit the first opponent that was in the game, have answers to the pressure and be able to use those things to our advantage,” Canales said of Dalton after discussing the film.
When asked specifically what Dalton is doing to give Carolina (1-2) the best chance of winning, Canales said: “I don’t want to go into that any further.”
However, he noted the confidence he saw on offense that hadn’t been there before, adding, “And when you have confidence, you can trust, and when you have confidence, you can focus on the game as well as the game. The result is good football.”
Young hadn’t played good football the first two weeks. His total QBR rating of 8.9 was among the worst in consecutive games. Dalton had a QBR of 86.9 on Sunday.
But Canales also had positive things to say about Young, who wore an earpiece on Sunday to listen in on the coach’s communication with Dalton.
“He’s been consistent in his leadership, in the way he handles the guys, in the way he continues to connect with people to add value to the experience,” Canales said.
Center Austin Corbett noted that Young had an “incredible” week and Sunday.
“It’s not a pleasant situation,” he said of the top pick in the 2023 draft. “It’s not something you dream about when you go to the NFL. It’s not the moment you expect.”
“But he was unbelievable all week. He was still involved in the protection meetings and all the other meetings and practice, managing the team there on that sideline, still coming over and talking to us when he was just seeing things on the surface, all the pictures and coverage and running scheme stuff, still acting and treating it like normal.”
Tight end Tommy Tremble agreed.
“He was always in a good mood, always encouraging the guys on the sideline, saying ‘let’s go,’ positive and a great leader on the sideline,” he said. “For us to see that throughout the game … that’s what we love him for, man.”
Ultimately, the NFL is about performance, and Dalton has shown more than enough to remain a regular starter against the Bengals, the team he led to five consecutive winning seasons after being drafted in 2011.
It started with bringing fun into the offense.
“Andy is just the experienced player that he is, just the amount of snaps he’s played,” Corbett said. “He’s had so many ups and downs, had success there in Cincinnati and moved on to a handful of teams.”
“And he was just ready for the moment to get his chance again.”
