At 36 years old, Andy Dalton doesn't experience a lot of firsts in the NFL anymore. But on Sunday, the newly minted Panthers starting quarterback had one memorable afternoon.
In his first start in nearly a year after replacing former No. 1 pick Bryce Young as Carolina's starter, Dalton led the Panthers to their first win of the season, handed Dave Canales his first victory as a head coach and became the first QB this season to throw for more than 300 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in the same game.
Left for dead after two listless losses to the Saints and Chargers, the Panthers under Dalton's leadership are suddenly reborn after Sunday's 36-22 win over the Raiders. The same could be said for Dalton's career.
"I mean, it felt great. Obviously for me to get an opportunity to be out there and for it to go the way it did, couldn't have drawn it up any better," Dalton said after the game, via the team transcript. "I thought our guys came out with the right attitude, the right mentality from the start, and we never slowed down. That was the fun part of it. We didn't just put one drive together. We were able to do it the whole game. Played complementary football, and guys were having a ton of fun, and that's how it should be."
Dalton and the Panthers got off to a hot start Sunday, scoring a TD on their very first possession for the first time in 20 games. Dalton said after the win that he was unaware of Carolina's cold streak on opening drives, which in hindsight is probably for the best.
On the day, Carolina enjoyed a balanced offense with Dalton passing for 319 yards and the ground game, paced by Chuba Hubbard, picking up 131 yards. The Panthers scored on seven of 11 competitive possessions after scoring a mere 13 points in their first two games with Young under center.
Dalton replaced Young as Carolina's starting QB on Sept. 16 after Canales made the tough decision to sideline the 2023 top pick.
Young's benching is not likely to be permanent, however, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the former first-round QB is expected to be back under center eventually this season. The 23-year-old Young is essentially serving a "timeout," while the veteran Dalton shows him how it's done.
"It definitely was a heavy week and hard on a lot of people," Dalton explained Sunday. "So, Bryce and I have had conversations through this whole thing. Those conversations are between us."
Canales enjoyed the early returns on his decision to sit the young Young for the grizzled Dalton.
"Honestly, it's just what I expected out of him," Canales said Sunday. "We practiced the things. The receivers were in the right spots for him, and he took advantage when they gave us favorable coverages to hit those plays."
For now, Dalton is happy to relish the victory, his first as a starter since Week 17 of the 2022 season. Up next is his former team, the Bengals, an organization he'll be facing for the fourth time since leaving Cincinnati after the 2019 season. But it'll be his first with Carolina, where Dalton, after a year on the bench, is having "a ton of fun" in his 14th year in the league.
"For us, it was a big win, first one of the year," Dalton said of Sunday's victory, his 84th as a starter. "Now it's like, OK, let's go. We know the possibilities out there. We've got to go play to that standard."
