Strong “veteran presence” pays off for Dalton with big day in Panthers win

LAS VEGAS – Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton appeared relaxed and content as he paused during pregame warmups Sunday to pose for a photo with his wife and friends on the sidelines at Allegiant Stadium.

It was that demeanor that new coach Dave Canales was looking for earlier this week when he benched Bryce Young in favor of the 36-year-old veteran who threw three touchdown passes in the first half of a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Canales felt that after a 0-2 start, the team needed a total of 60 points to go on the offensive and that they were closer to their identity than the losses suggested.

“That was one of the reasons I started here. I had a chance to just be myself and be out there like I normally am,” Dalton said after completing 26 of 37 passing attempts for 319 yards and three touchdowns. “I'm usually pretty calm, I'm usually relaxed.

“The guys had fun. I just wanted to make sure the guys had fun because you put a lot of work into this thing… and now you have time to just go out and enjoy the work you put into it.”

Things didn't go well for the Panthers, with a 47-10 loss to New Orleans in Week 1 and a 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in their first home game after their worst season in the NFL at 2-15.

It was especially tough on offense, as Young, the top pick in the 2023 draft, put up historically bad numbers.

Benching the quarterback that team owner David Tepper predicted would win the Super Bowl in Carolina a year ago made for a “really tough week” for Canales. Seeing everything come together for a win for the entire team was satisfying, even if he wasn't quite in his usual good mood at the postgame press conference after his first win as an NFL head coach.

“I'm smiling inside,” Canales said. “I'm completely exhausted. It's been a fantastic week, but it's also been a really tough week again, just because of all these factors, just getting back to work and continuing to work on establishing our culture and processes.”

Canales relies on complementary football and avoids giving too much credit to any one player. He never really credited Dalton with turning things around after two weeks of critics calling Carolina the worst team in the league.

But it was Dalton who set the tone, leading Carolina to a touchdown on the opening series, ending the longest active streak by an NFL team not to do so at 20 games.

His three touchdowns in the first half were the most by a Carolina quarterback since Cam Newton did it on December 20, 2015 against the New York Giants during his NFL MVP season.

It was the first time Carolina had a first-half lead of more than seven points since Week 16 of 2022. Carolina has not had a lead for seven straight games, the third-longest streak in the last 20 seasons.

So it was grim, and the biggest difference from the first two games was Dalton, who had been known as “Red Rifle” since college because of his bright red hair.

“A veteran presence,” wide receiver Diontae Johnson said of what Dalton brought and what he lacked. “Just having a quarterback back there to put us in position, score and make plays. We just did a great job of staying focused. We made the most of every play.”

Johnson, who was acquired in an offseason trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers to upgrade Young, finished the game with a career-high 122 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. In the first two games with Young, he had just five catches for 34 yards.

The running game also flourished under Dalton. Chuba Hubbard managed 114 yards on 21 carries and caught five passes for 55 yards and the first touchdown.

It was Carolina's first game with a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver since Week 8 of 2022 against the Atlanta Falcons.

“Panthers football,” said Canales, who has been stressing for weeks that the team is still searching for an identity. “This is Panthers football, team football. And I get to show (the players) that and show them how everything complements and supports each other.”

For Dalton, the game proved that he still has what it takes to play winning football at the end of his career. For Young, it justified being benched and stepped up like most rookie quarterbacks because he needs time to develop.

While Dalton and the Panthers celebrated, Young stood expressionless from the sidelines watching the action. His first move after the game was to find Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew and hug him.

“It's definitely been a rough week and tough for a lot of people,” Dalton said. “Bryce and I have had conversations throughout this whole thing. Those conversations remain between us.”

The exhausting week turned into a joyful Sunday, with the team holding a lead with time remaining in the fourth quarter for the first time in 20 games (Week 18 of 2022).

Dalton beamed from ear to ear and did his best to make Canales smile afterwards.

Even wide receiver Adam Thielen, who suffered a hamstring injury on a 31-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter that could force him to miss games, was smiling. Dalton getting to play next week against the team (Cincinnati Bengals) that drafted him in 2011 was a big reason.

“Andy did a great job of just communicating and guiding us and getting off to a quick start,” said Thielen, who plans to have an MRI done Monday. “That was his message to us, we need to get off to a quick start, and he was able to guide that first drive and carry that momentum.”