The Carolina Panthers kick-started their season with a 36-22 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 and with Andy Dalton giving a real spark to the offense, I have to wonder… has he posed a serious question for the powers that be in Charlotte?
What if Bryce Young was the problem all along?
It's only a very small sample size, for sure, but the Panthers – who had gone 2-16 in the previous 18 games with Young at the helm – got the immediate reaction they were looking for when inserting a new quarterback into the lineup.
Dalton hit on 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions as Carolina controlled the game from start to finish. And there was a nice balance to proceedings as the Panthers also ran the ball 31 times for 131 yards and a touchdown to pick up their first win of the year.
Dalton is not going to be this team's future. He is 36 years old and in his 14th season, but he could end up being the reason that the Panthers cut their losses on the young man they chose first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
When dissecting the problems surrounding Young's start to life in the NFL, we quite rightly pointed to the lack of talent in front of and around him; especially last season. But if Dalton can put together a run of form with the exact same players at his disposal, what will that say about Young and what will it mean for the future of the franchise?
Since the introduction of the rookie salary cap, teams have not been afraid to move on from quarterbacks drafted high in the first round. The New York Jets jettisoned Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson, the Chicago Bears cast aside Justin Fields and Kenny Pickett – chosen in the opening round in 2022 - has already been and gone in Pittsburgh. There are many more examples.
The benching of Young felt harsh when I first heard the news last week. It felt like a desperate move from rookie head coach Dave Canales to ease some pressure on himself as he looks to avoid being sacked by owner David Tepper like Ron Rivera (after 12 games in 2019), Matt Rhule (after five games in 2022) and Frank Reich (after 11 games in 2023) before him.
But maybe the move allows the Panthers to make the clearest apples to apples comparison. Both quarterbacks are working with the same talent. Let's see if Dalton can make the offense go in a way that Young simply couldn't.
Even if the Panthers don't like the answer, at least they will know. It's a bit like the NFL Europe League back in the day. NFL teams would allocate quarterbacks to play in Europe, hoping they would discover a gem. But, quite often, they would discover that the player in question could not play at the required level and they could move on to the next option.
That could end up being a move the Panthers make and it could come as early as the November 5 trade deadline. It was just one game and it was against a Raiders team which had several players "making business decisions" according to their head coach, Antonio Pierce. But few would argue that a fresh start might be good for both player and team. That could be coming if Dalton replicates Sunday's form in the coming weeks.
Who's Hot…
Sam Darnold… Sunday evening saw another chapter being written in one of the NFL's greatest stories of this young season as Sam Darnold threw four touchdown passes as his Minnesota Vikings moved to 3-0 on the year with a comprehensive 37-7 victory over the Houston Texans. This was supposed to be one of the hardest-fought games of the week. But Darnold turned it into a cakewalk. As has been the case in the first three victories of the season, the 27-year-old quarterback was not required to do it on his own. Running back Aaron Jones racked up 148 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown, Justin Jefferson found the end zone for the third week in a row and Jalen Nailor has also scored in every outing this season. Coming into this contest, Houston's C.J. Stroud had not thrown an interception in his previous seven starts. He was picked twice and the Vikings recorded five sacks, giving them 16 in three games. That defense is playing at a special level under Brian Flores. Monday could be a key day in Minneapolis. Darnold will have an MRI on the knee he injured in the second half. If he comes through that unscathed, it will be time to start believing in the Vikings.
Derrick Henry… The fit between two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens was deemed so perfect in the offseason that it felt as if fans of other teams were also excited to see how it turned out once the games started being played. We can now discount fans of the Dallas Cowboys on that front. Henry was superb throughout Sunday's 28-25 victory that ended up being far too close for comfort from a Baltimore point of view. Henry showed exactly why everybody was so keen to see him paired with Lamar Jackson as he carried 25 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Henry, who has scored in every Baltimore game this season, forced Dallas defenders to make several 'business decisions' as he imposed his will on the Cowboys. If he can get rolling and get up a head of steam, Henry remains powerful and athletic enough to be one of the league's elite rushers. He is very much a complete back, still. The Cowboys wanted very little to do with tackling Henry in Week 3 and they won't be the last team to feel that way this season.
Aaron Rodgers… Thursday night represented the kind of home opener Aaron Rodgers and New York Jets fans were dreaming of in 2023. Rodgers was excellent throughout New York's 24-3 win over the New England Patriots that kicked off Week 3. The future Hall of Famer brings a sense of authority and calm to the offense that simply was never there under Wilson or any of those who tried to substitute for him last term. And Thursday was a reminder that Rodgers – at the age of 40 – has an elite arm which means no area of the field is same from his attacks. His touchdown strike to Garrett Wilson in the right flat would have resulted in a pick six if it had been thrown by most mere mortals. Not Rodgers… he delivered a laser that could end up going down as one of the passes of the season. There was absolutely no room for error and 12 delivered. Rodgers playing at a high level is good for the NFL and, of course, it is excellent news for the playoff-chasing Jets.
Who's Not…
The Miami Dolphins… If you would like a reminder of the importance of the quarterback position in today's NFL, look no further than a Miami Dolphins team that fielded the league's most potent attack in 2023. In 2024, the Dolphins are in danger of morphing into last season's New York Jets. Tua Tagovailoa is rightly taking all the time he needs to work out how he wants to move forward with his career and his life after suffering yet another concussion in Week 2. And that left Skylar Thompson at the helm. He got hurt during Sunday's 24-3 loss to Seattle, meaning the game was finished out by Tim Boyle, one of the very forgettable quarterbacks the aforementioned Jets were forced to turn to in 2023. It's shaping up to be a lost season in Miami. The next few weeks will be crucial. The Dolphins have a shot at some wins as they face Tennessee, New England and Indianapolis before that October 27 date against Arizona, which is the earliest Tua can return. But if they're 1-5 by that point, don't be surprised to see Tagovailoa shut down for the entire season.
Will Levis… Another week, another loss for the Tennessee Titans and another mistake-filled showing from Will Levis at quarterback. The Titans fell to a 30-14 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and Levis was a turnover machine once again, throwing two interceptions – including another pick six – and losing a fumble. Levis now leads the NFL with eight giveaways in three weeks and it's clear he is frustrating rookie head coach Brian Callahan. Mason Rudolph has experience as an NFL starter so a change could be coming soon in Nashville. But will Rudolph fare any better behind an offensive line that is allowing Levis to be pressured on more than half of the snaps he takes? That pressure is a factor, no doubt, but Levis has to be better in critical situations. He does not appear to be the long-term answer for the Titans.
The Dallas Cowboys… The late rally was impressive, but there was a lot to be worried about when looking at the Cowboys' home loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Dallas were bullied for much of the contest as the Ravens ran the football 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Those are soul-destroying numbers and they make me question the toughness levels in Dallas. It was also a struggle on offense before the fourth quarter fireworks. Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott continue to fail on big stages. The latter will be fine as he has inked a new contract worth a record-breaking $60 million per year, but I feel that McCarthy is a coach running out of time. Embarrassing losses in front of your own fans won't help his situation. After winning 16 games in a row at home, the Cowboys have now dropped three straight at AT&T Stadium and the images of players arguing on the sidelines and seemingly taking it in turns to avoid tackling Derrick Henry are not good looks with Jerry Jones scowling from his luxury suite.
The Fast Five…
- The Philadelphia Eagles produced a great response on Sunday in recording a 15-12 road win against the New Orleans Saints. Philly had blown the previous week's game against Atlanta inside the final minute but bounced back with a bruising defensive display against a team that had scored 91 points in the first two weeks of the season. It wasn't pretty, but the Eagles showed some resolve having lost seven of their previous nine games dating back to last year.
- The New York Giants picked up their first win of the season against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and it was powered by the man who offers hope for the future – rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. Fresh from a 100-yard receiving day in Week 2, Nabers scored two touchdowns in a 21-15 Week 3 win in Cleveland. His first, a diving catch, near the sideline was a pretty good impression of Odell Beckham Jr.
- The NFL is just crazy! Even though they were missing offensive weapons in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, it looked like the San Francisco 49ers were cruising to victory against the Los Angeles Rams. Brock Purdy was coping just fine as he hooked up for three touchdown passes with Jauan Jennings. San Francisco led 14-0, 21-7 and 24-14. But the Rams rallied late – behind a great effort led by Kyren Williams and Matthew Stafford - and somehow won the game 27-24 with Joshua Karty's 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. The 49ers looked absolutely shell-shocked as they fell to 1-2 with a second straight loss.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers have been far from perfect in 2024, but they do have a perfect 3-0 record. With that in mind, I see no reason for this team to move away from Justin Fields and go back to Russell Wilson at quarterback. Fields is not the complete NFL quarterback, by any means, but he possesses a higher game-breaking ceiling than his veteran counterpart. He rushed for a touchdown and threw a strike that Calvin Austin took 55 yards to the end zone to ice a 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Despite pedestrian numbers from Patrick Mahomes (217 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception) and Travis Kelce (four catches for 30 yards), the Kansas City Chiefs moved to 3-0 on Sunday night with their 22-17 win in Atlanta. That's three victories in a row by one score to start the season as defending champs. Quite simply, the Chiefs find a way and their winning aura means they get in the opponent's heads towards the end of big games.
Fact of the Week
Sunday night saw Patrick Mahomes win his 77th NFL game in his 99th career start. In breaking a tie with the great Tom Brady, that is the most wins by a quarterback in their first 100 starts since 1950.
Finish That Sentence
Each week in this spot I ask readers - via X - to randomly send me the start of a sentence and, as we so often did on our NFL Live stage show tours, I will finish the sentence with the first thought that comes into my head. Here we go…
From Ben Leitch (@Benleitchjourno) Nick Sirianni needs to… feature Saquon Barkley every week and tell quarterback Jalen Hurts to take much, much better care of the football. If those two things happen between now and the Super Bowl, the Eagles have enough talent to make a deep run. Barkley carried 17 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the win over New Orleans. Hurts had some nice moments, but he threw another interception and lost a fumble. Dating back to the start of last season, Hurts now leads the NFL in an unwanted category with 26 giveaways. That carelessness with the football can end a season in a hurry come the playoffs.
From Tom Marshall (@aredzonauk) The chances of seeing a 70-yard field goal this season are… pretty high, Tom. With the two Monday night games to come, there have been 42 successful field goals of 50 yards or more in the first three weeks of the season. A 55-yarder has become the new 45-yarder. It definitely feels like an automatic 10 yards has been added to every kicker's leg. While some of the 50+ efforts cooled off a little in Week 3, Brandon Aubrey landed the second-longest field goal of all time for the Cowboys from 65 yards with barely a stroke of the leg. Justin Tucker's NFL record 66-yard kick is in real danger. That said, the only way I think we see a 70-yarder is if a team needs all three points for the win at the end of the game. Otherwise, I believe most coaches are scared to get caught on the field with their big men 60 or 70 yards away from a speedy returner. It has to be the right situation, but there's no doubt quite a few of these kickers can land one from 70 or more, especially when so many games are played indoors.
From Richard James (@britbearsfan1) The Bears offense looked… better but not all the way there. Pressure on Caleb Williams and mistakes from the rookie quarterback are still rearing their ugly head far too often and it hurt Chicago in their 21-16 loss to Indianapolis. But there were moments. There was one play where Williams evaded pressure, scrambled and then fired downfield. I thought I was watching Mahomes in that instance, so you can see where such comparisons are coming from. And rookie receiver Rome Odunze had some big moments. It was another disappointing loss and this offense is nowhere near where it needs to be. But – excuse the pun here - Rome was not built in a day. There was a lot of bad once again. But I also saw some flashes on Sunday that got me really excited and could bode well as this season unfolds.
Final Thought…
As a former NFL quarterback himself, Jim Harbaugh would have known the importance of having Justin Herbert under center as his 2-0 Los Angeles Chargers took on the equally-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. But you have to question that bravado in Week 3. Herbert looked tentative and uncomfortable in pre-game warmups as he tried to play through a high ankle sprain – the kind of injury that can sideline players for a month or more. The gamble did not pay off. Herbert was knocked from the game and now the Chargers are facing a home clash with the Kansas City Chiefs with Taylor Heinicke at the helm. And who knows how long Herbert will now be on the sidelines? Was it worth such a roll of the dice this early in the season?
