Tag: Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton’s success proves how badly the Panthers failed Bryce Young

It might really be over for Bryce Young.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Happy Monday. I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Thank you for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate your time.

I very, very rarely agree with Tom Brady. But on Sunday after seeing how well Andy Dalton played after taking Bryce Young’s place as the starting quarterback for the Panthers, I found myself reflecting on his words.

Brady called it a “tragedy” that young quarterbacks are being forced by their teams to play early. He said the game is dumbed down, which I don’t necessarily agree with, enabling it to happen. But a lot of young QBs are missing the valuable developmental practice reps that used to be so common in the NFL.

When you hear that, how can you not think of Bryce Young? Especially after watching Dalton thrive in the Panther’s offense on Sunday.

On Sunday, he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns with a 70.3 percent completion percentage in his first start this season. Young has thrown for 339 yards in his last three starts combined. The difference was stark. This was competent NFL quarterback play — something the Panthers haven’t seen in years. And, yet, a simple lineup change made it all possible.

Many saw this as proof that Bryce Young doesn’t have the juice. But, to me, this says much more about the Panthers than it does about Young.

READ MORE: Five trade destinations for Bryce Young

The former Alabama quarterback certainly came into the NFL with flaws that would turn most evaluators away. There’s the obvious one: He’s too small, at 5-foot-10. The arm talent wasn’t the greatest, either. But he was accurate with the ball, great at navigating the pocket and had dynamite instincts as a quarterback.

Those instincts? They’re gone. His accuracy is diminished by his hesitancy. He doesn’t seem to trust himself anymore. That’s what being thrown into a fraught situation will do to you.

Good leadership ensures that the folks you’re leading are placed in the best positions to succeed. Carolina’s leadership never did that with Bryce Young. He’s had three head coaches in 18 months. That’s no proper way to operate, but that’s been the only way under David Tepper.

The Panther’s owner isn’t afraid to make rash decisions to get the immediate results he wants. That’s how the Panthers ended up with Young in the first place. It’s also probably why he’s benched now.

In a perfect world, Young probably sits for a season or two while all this chaos unfolds within the organization and one day emerges when he’s ready. Instead, he was thrown out into the ocean with a wooden plank from day one. Carolina has had no stability, yet he was still expected to make a way.

Now, Young goes into the cautionary tale basket. He’ll fester with names like Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch and Jamarcus Russell. Maybe there’s an Alex Smith twist in there for him somewhere — Alex Smith himself sure does hope so!

I’m not sure I agree. I hope I’m wrong, but Young seems too far gone at this point. That’s quite a shame because you can’t help but feel things didn’t have to work out this way.

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The Eagles have a Jalen Hurts problem

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t that long ago that Jalen Hurts marched the Philadelphia Eagles down the field in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs and tied the game up against the best team in the NFL with arguably the best quarterback we’ve ever seen.

It’s been slowly, but surely, downhill ever since. The Eagles beat the Saints 15-12 on Sunday, but Hurts’ ugly turnover problems popped up again.

Christian D’Andrea wrote more on his struggles here in his week 3 recap:

“Since Week 13 of the 2023 season — the genesis of the spiral that crushed the team’s Super Bowl hopes — Hurts has been good for roughly 2.86 EPA per game. That’s in the positives, which is good. It’s also 19th best among all quarterbacks, which is firmly mediocre.

Philadelphia can win with mediocrity, but it’s paying for greatness. Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million contract after that 2022 breakthrough that was richly deserved. After inking a significant investment, the returns have slowly dwindled and a player who threw six interceptions across an All-Pro third season in the league has suddenly become one of the game’s most turnover-prone quarterbacks.”

Nick Sirianni deserves a ton of the heat he’s getting for his poor decision-making in these last few games. But Hurts also keeps points off the board by simply giving the ball too much to the other team.

It’s hard to trust this team to do anything moving forward if that isn’t cleaned up.

A’ja Wilson’s run just keeps getting better

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

I have no idea how this season will end for A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. But, regardless of how it does, we should acknowledge that the run she’s been on for the last three seasons is on par with some of the greatest we’ve seen in basketball.

Wilson unanimously won her third MVP on Sunday ahead of the Aces Game 1 win over the Storm. That means in the last four years, Wilson has won:

— Three MVP awards

— Two Defensive Player of the Year awards (and maybe a third this season, so we may need to revisit this).

— Two WNBA Finals championships

— The 2023 WNBA Finals MVP award

Only the greatest of the greats have resumes like this. Wilson firmly placed herself in that echelon and still has plenty of room to climb.

She could be the best we’ve ever seen when it’s all said and done. What a journey we’re witnessing.

Quick hits: Is Matt Eberflus’ time already up? … Let’s all be normal about Caitlin Clark’s eye … and more

— Robert Zeglinski calls Matt Eberflus’ future into question in his latest NFL Awards column. It might be best for Caleb Williams’ future.

— Caitlin Clark isn’t blaming her black eye on her poor performance and neither should you. Meg Hall has more.

— Raheem Morris’ response to this missed pass interference call on the Chiefs is perfect. Charles Curtis has more.

— Here’s Christian with the worst quarterback performances of Week 3.

— Big hat sad Cowboys fan makes everybody else happy. Here’s Mary Clarke with more.

— Speaking of Caitlin Clark, here’s her first playoff bucket. Prince Grimes has it covered.

That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate the time! Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Panthers HC Dave Canales gives passionate speech after team’s 1st win

Panthers HC Dave Canales was absolutely pumped following his team’s first victory of the season.

It might’ve taken three long weeks and one big change at the quarterback position, but Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales got his dub.

Sunday’s 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders marked the very first in the head-coaching career of the 43-year-old Carson, Calif. native. And with the first regular-season triumph, comes the first real postgame victory speech—something Canales absolutely owned . . .

A few minutes after that memorable moment, Canales hit the lectern to talk with reporters about the win.

“That’s Panthers football,” he said. “Team football right there. And I get to show them that. I get to show them how it all complements and all plays off of each other—the run game, opening things up in the back half, making teams have to load the box and try to take your run away and all of a sudden you got all this space. And that’s the way it fits.”

The Panthers football from Week 3 was a far cry from the disappointing performances from the first two games. Canales’ offense not only amassed the first 400-yard game for Carolina since 2022, but it also helped Andy Dalton become the first quarterback of the 2024 season to throw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Hopefully for Canales and the Panthers, there are plenty of more wins and victory speeches to be had.

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Biggest takeaways from the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Raiders

The Panthers offense came to life in Week 3 behind the arm of Andy Dalton and the mind of Dave Canales.

After a few days of being under the national spotlight for the wrong reasons, the Carolina Panthers capped off a tumultuous week with a stunning road win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The 36-22 victory saw the Panthers lead by as many as 27 points, and proved to be a thorough triumph in all phases of the game.

Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from a much-needed, feel-good victory in Sin City . . .

Carolina’s offense takes a massive leap forward

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The viability of the Panthers offense was questioned after the benching of struggling second-year quarterback Bryce Young. But head coach Dave Canales, with a little help from new starter Andy Dalton, responded in a big way.

Carolina hit the 400-yard mark for the first time since Week 17 of the 2022 campaign. They amassed 437 total yards at 6.2 yards per play while converting on five third-down tries, more than doubling their combined total from the previous two weeks.

Sunday also marked the first time since 2022 that they finished a game with a 300-yard passer (Dalton), a 100-yard rusher (Chuba Hubbard) and a 100-yard receiver (Diontae Johnson). Canales, with Hubbard and Johnson as his primary weapons, dialed up a sound game as a play-caller with consistent selections and put his group in positions to win.

They will, however, have to answer a new question regarding the status of veteran wideout Adam Thielen—who exited the game due to the hamstring injury he sustained on his 31-yard touchdown grab. If he’s to miss some time, will the offense still be able produce without one of their top targets?

The “Red Rifle” fires on all cylinders

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dalton shined in his first start of the 2024 season, completing 26 of his 37 throws for 319 yards and three touchdowns. His performance helped him become the first NFL quarterback this season to amass at least 300 passing yards along with three passing scores.

The 36-year-old vet reacted well to the Raiders defense, especially on pressures and in third-down distances. He showcased his fearlessness to test the middle of the field with success, connecting with Johnson and rookie Xavier Legette for some explosive plays.

He displayed quality ball placement and layering on throws to each level of the field. This is something we haven’t seen consistently since Cam Newton’s time in Carolina.

After a heavy week, Dalton enjoyed the opportunity in Sunday’s win and wanted to make sure his teammates were having fun in the process.

“You know, guys were having fun,” Dalton told reporters. “I was trying to make sure the guys were having fun because you put in a ton of work for this thing. And for you to get out there, it’s like now you get time to just go and enjoy the work that you put in.”

Dalton’s outing signaled one thing—that he is the team’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

The Panthers show improvement on defense

Louis Grasse/Getty Images

Carolina’s offense wasn’t the only unit limping into Week 3. The team also had troubles on defense, as they allowed their opponents to run rampant over the first two games of the year.

But Sunday saw their best effort yet, one that included a heck of a lot more stops.

Las Vegas converted on just three of their 11 third-down tries and one of their three fourth-down looks. The Panthers, in addition, racked up a season-high three sacks as well as an interception of Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero should be particularly proud of the unit’s stand against the run, as they held their opposition to just 55 rushing yards—an impressive feat considering the struggles in recent weeks.

Linebacker Josey Jewell also rebounded after having a rough outing against the Los Angeles Chargers a week ago, displaying better run fits and physicality at the point of attack. Rookie Trevin Wallace saw playing time on defense for the first time this season, as both an edge rusher and as a chess piece in coverage.

Cornerback Mike Jackson had a terrific game as well—posting nine solo tackles, three passes defensed and an interception. The former Seahawk is solidifying himself as the team’s No. 2 cornerback going forward, even when free-agent signee Dane Jackson reenters the picture. Jackson’s coverage prowess and run support have made him a strong fit in Evero’s system.

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Studs and duds from Panthers’ Week 3 win over Raiders

QB Andy Dalton may have been the star of the Panthers’ Week 3 win, but RB Chuba Hubbard was the engine.

Well, this should be a lot more fun to read now, right?

The Carolina Panthers ripped off their first win of the 2024 season on Sunday, thumping the Las Vegas Raiders in a shocking 36-22 victory. Their upset win, obviously, featured a number of standout performers and very few, if any disappointments.

Here are the studs and duds from a triumphant Week 3:

Stud: QB Andy Dalton

Dalton turned in a clean and productive performance in his first start replacing Bryce Young. He completed 26 of his 37 passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The 36-year-old became the first quarterback in the NFL this season to throw for at least 300 yards and three scores in a game.

Stud: RB Chuba Hubbard

Hubbard was the featured weapon on offense, as he tallied 169 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 114 yards on 21 carries and added another 55 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Dud: RB Miles Sanders

Although he recorded his first touchdown of the campaign, Sanders couldn’t find the same openings Hubbard did. He ran for 17 yards on seven attempts, good enough for an average of 2.4 yards per tote.

Stud: WR Diontae Johnson

After totaling just 34 receiving yards in his first two games, Johnson reeled in a career-high 122 yards on Sunday. He also reached the end zone for the first time in 2024.

Dud: WR Jonathan Mingo

Head coach Dave Canales tried to create some opportunities for Mingo, but he didn’t capitalize. The second-year wideout picked up 18 yards on his three catches and two yards on a rushing attempt.

Stud: CB Mike Jackson

Jackson continues to be quite the revelation for the defense. He notched  team-highs with nine tackles (all solo), an interception and three passes defensed.

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Panthers QB Andy Dalton talks about his triumphant Week 3 performance

Panthers QB Andy Dalton couldn’t have scripted a better result for Sunday’s win over the Raiders.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton penned a perfect beginning to the latest chapter of his NFL career.

That story was set in Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, as the 14th-year veteran led the previously-winless Panthers to a stunning upset victory over the host Las Vegas Raiders. Week 3 marked the first start of the season for Dalton, who officially replaced struggling second-year passer Bryce Young on Monday.

The 36-year-old talked about the 36-22 win with reporters.

“It felt great,” he said with a smile. “For me to get the opportunity to be out there and for it to go the way it did, couldn’t have drawn it up any better. I thought our guys came out with the right attitude, the right mentality from the start, and we never slowed down. And that was the fun part about it. We didn’t just put one drive together, we were able to do it the whole game.”

The “Red Rifle” fired right away, carrying Carolina to a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to open the contest. That possession, which wound up in the end zone off a 6-yard catch from running back Chuba Hubbard, marked the Panthers’ first opening-drive touchdown in 21 games.

Dalton finished the game having completed 16 of his 37 throws for 319 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in the NFL this season to pass for both 300 yards and three scores.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked how Bryce Young handled his 1st game after benching

Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked how Bryce Young handled his first game as the team’s backup QB.

Ironically enough, the 5-foot-10, 204-pound Bryce Young was the elephant in the room at Allegiant Stadium this afternoon.

The Carolina Panthers, in their very first game after benching the struggling second-year quarterback, pulled off a shocking 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Sunday’s outing, although a triumphant one, must’ve been a particularly weird scene for the 23-year-old Young—who has been a star at every level of his football career.

Head coach Dave Canales was asked how Young handled his first game as the team’s backup following the victory.

“It was the same,” Canales said of Young’s preparation. “He had a great process of just being ready. He’s always gotta be ready to play. And I don’t expect anything different there. So just taking that same approach and being ready, locked in and focused. So that was excellent.”

Speaking of excellent, Young’s replacement became the first NFL quarterback this season to throw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in a game. And that was 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton—who completed 26 of his 37 passes for 319 yards and a trio of first-half scores.

Dalton’s performance helped the Panthers to 437 yards of total offense and five successful third-down conversions, more than double of what Young and the unit were able to record in the first two weeks combined.

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Panthers embarrass Raiders in Las Vegas

The Panthers went into Las Vegas and crushed the Raiders

There are bad losses and then there is what the Las Vegas Raiders experienced Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

The Panthers came into the game almost a touchdown underdog. That seemed kind given the way they played in the first two weeks of the season. Carolina lost both of its games and had been outscored 73-13.

The week was filled with controversy in Carolina as Bryce Young, the overall No. 1 pick in 2023, was benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.

Dave Canales in his first year as Carolina’s coach made a brilliant move.

Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers rocked the Raiders, 36-22.

The game was tied at 7-7 after the first quarter. Dalton led the Panthers to 26 straight points before the Raiders finally answered with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter when it was far too late.

Carolina Panthers vs. Las Vegas Raiders game recap: Everything we know

Veteran QB Andy Dalton breathed some life into the Panthers on Sunday, leading them to their first victory of the 2024 campaign.

They did it. They actually did it.

Here is everything we know from the Carolina Panthers’ stunning upset win over the Las Vegas Raiders here in Week 3 . . .

Final score: Panthers 36, Raiders, 22

Ian Maule/Getty Images

Keys to the game

Louis Grasse/Getty Images
  • Quarterback Andy Dalton injected some life into the offense in place of the recently-benched Bryce Young. The 14th-year veteran completed 26 of his 37 throws for 319 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Dalton’s performance led the Panthers to a well-rounded offensive output. Along with their 306 team passing yards, they also rushed for 131 while converting on five of their 12 third-down looks.
  • The good vibes also flowed through to the defense, which held Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew up for an interception and a pair of sacks. Las Vegas, in addition, ran for only 55 yards on 16 attempts.

It was over when . . .

Ian Maule/Getty Images

Already up 27-7 and holding their first fourth-quarter lead since Week 17 of the 2022 season, the Panthers asked running back Miles Sanders to put the cherry on top. And he did, with just under 14 minutes remaining, as the sixth-year rusher notched his first touchdown of the campaign on a 1-yard punch-in and all but clinched Carolina’s first dub.

Players of the game

Louis Grasse/Getty Images
  • QB Andy Dalton: 26-for-37, 319 yards, three touchdowns
  • RB Chuba Hubbard: 21 carries, 114 rushing yards, five receptions, 55 receiving yards, receiving touchdown
  • WR Diontae Johnson: eight receptions, 122 yards, touchdown

What’s next?

Ian Maule/Getty Images

The Panthers (1-2) will head back home to host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.

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Raiders ripped in home opener by winless Panthers 36-22

The Raiders fell back to earth hard to get run out of their own building by a bad Panthers team.

These Raiders are nothing if not interesting. Last week they defied the odds to beat the Ravens 26-23 in Baltimore. This week they come home and defy the odds again…losing badly to what was previously a hapless Panthers team.

This wasn’t even really a close one. The Panthers drove right down the field on the opening drive for a touchdown.

The Raiders responded with a three-and-out.

To be fair, the Raiders did eventually score a touchdown to tie it up. The big play was a 54-yard bomb to Tre Tucker and Alexander Mattison finished it off with a touchdown run to tie it at 7-7.

But the scoring stopped for the Raiders after that. Meanwhile the Panthers continued their deluge of scoring. And they did it on the arm of Andy Dalton.

Dalton made several gorgeous, perfect throws, including two touchdown passes — one to Diontae Johnson and the other to Adam Thielan — to put the Panthers up 21-7 at the half.

The Raiders got the ball first in the third quarter, but could do nothing with it. The Panthers got the ball and drove for a field goal.

The ensuing drive, Antonio Pierce made another one of the head scratching decisions to go for it in their own territory. On fourth and one, they attempted a QB keeper and it was stopped for no gain to give the Panthers the ball at the Vegas 37. They added another field goal off the field position alone to make it a 27-7 game.

By this point, the Raiders had converted just two third downs and twice turned the ball over on downs. Only this time the defense wasn’t bailing them out.

Andy Dalton was 22 of 31 for 286 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 131.9 passer rating. That’s 36-year-old backup Andy Dalton. And his top receiver Diontae Johnson had six catches for 108 yards and a TD.

The mostly Raiders crowd was booing loudly as the Raiders offense floundered and the defense was getting gouged by Andy Dalton and the Panthers offense.

They would add another touchdown in the fourth quarter, just for good measure to go up 33-7.

Minshew would throw a garbage time TD and two-point conversion, both to Jakobi Meyers to get into double digits. Then he would throw a garbage interception to CB Mike Jackson at his own 25. They added another field goal to make it a 36-15 game.

Another garbage time TD, this time from Aidan O’Connell to Tre Tucker gave us our final score of 36-22.

Dalton continued his ownage of the Raiders in his career. He became the first QB this season to throw for over 300 yards (319) with three touchdowns in a game. He is now 4-0 in starts over the Raiders, with three different teams.

Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard finished with 114 yards on the ground while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

The Raiders fall to 1-2 on the season. The Panthers improve to 1-2 on the season.