Vegas Win Provides Hope but Panthers’ Future Remains Unclear

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the Carolina Panthers are hoping that’s not the case after Sunday. With Andy Dalton behind center following the benching of second-year QB Bryce Young, the Panthers dismantled the Raiders 36-22, returning home this week with a newfound momentum after the first two weeks of the season left little to be hopeful about. 

Dalton looked like an NFL quarterback, something, unfortunately, you can’t say about Young so far in his young career. 

Perhaps most noticeably, the offensive line put on an improved performance Sunday, which opened up the passing and running games. New receiver Diontae Johnson had a big day while Chuba Hubbard ran like a man possessed. Everyone seemed to have an extra hop in their step, fighting for extra yardage and playing with newfound confidence. 

The defense looked solid, rushing the passer effectively and shutting down the Raiders running game. The final score was not indicative of the beatdown the Panthers put on Las Vegas, as the Panthers allowed two garbage-time touchdowns from the prevent defense. 

After the game, Dave Canales, having notched his first NFL victory as a head coach, stressed how important that win was for justifying the work his team has put into practice. 

“Honestly, it’s just about legitimizing the process, because up until you actually find that success and see it work, it’s just a bunch of talk,” Canales told reporters. “So it was really important for us to see that happen. And if we execute and we trust each other, we can be a good team. It just helps me sell that.” 

Canales had plenty to say about Dalton’s great performance, which also justified a move by the head coach that had been picked apart by national media members for the entire preceding week. 

“Andy just operated and functioned in our system, got us to the right runs, threw it to the first open guy, progressed when he had to, checked the down … He did a fantastic job of just playing efficiently and made some explosive plays and found those opportunities down the field when they were available,” he said. 

A top-notch performance from Dalton

Dalton became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdown passes this season. 

One stat gives a glimpse at how grim things were looking when the Panthers took the field on Sunday: After Dalton marched the team down the field on their first possession to score a touchdown, it was the first time in 279 days that the Panthers had even taken a lead. 

When Dalton led them to another score with 9:28 left in the second quarter to give them a 14-7 lead, that put them over the 13 points they had scored in the previous two games combined.

Of course, none of this would have happened if Canales hadn’t made the ballsy decision to bench Bryce Young after two consecutive outings that saw him looking grossly overmatched. 

The Panthers were outscored 73-13 in the season’s first two games, and Canales didn’t want to lose his team so early in the season, so after confidently telling reporters that “Bryce is our quarterback,” he watched some more tape and came to a different conclusion. 

In the end, after speaking to fellow coaches (and perhaps that owner above him who’s constantly accused of meddling in such decisions) he changed his tune, stating, “Ultimately, this comes on me and my No. 1 responsibility is to help the Panthers win. So this move I believe puts us in the best chance to do that.” 

Size just might matter for Bryce Young

Canales’ decision wasn’t just about benching a starting quarterback, it was about benching one whom Carolina had paid a steep price for. 

The team gave up wide receiver D.J. Moore, who some considered Pro Bowl-worthy in his first season in Chicago last year, along with two first- and second-round draft picks, with one of the firsts ending up as the top pick in the 2024 draft. It’s already one of the worst trades in NFL history. 

When selected last year, Young’s ability to process what he saw on the field was one of the main reasons Carolina liked him. But he hasn’t looked like a starting NFL quarterback since, and certainly not like a top pick. 

There have always been questions about Young’s size. Standing next to him at his introductory press conference in Charlotte and seeing his listed weight of 204, it’s hard not to think he must have been holding a 25-pound weight to match that listing. 

When we asked him last year how his size might actually act in his favor, Young didn’t have an answer, emphasizing that he’s always been that size relative to the people he plays with so it’s all he knows. 

Since then, he’s played like he’s too small to see the field, sometimes jumping while passing to try to get the ball out. That only leads to messed up mechanics. Young is not going to get taller, but he needs to add weight to his frame to withstand the physicality of playing quarterback in the NFL. 

Hindsight is 20/20, but you have to wonder why the Panthers gave up so much to acquire Young. Aside from his ability to process the field in college, he doesn’t have any of the attributes you look for in a franchise quarterback: size, strength, athleticism or arm strength.

Even his processing skills seem to be out of whack, as he has seemed hesitant in the pocket, waiting too long for plays to develop rather than making them happen. 

As a smaller quarterback, there have to be some physical elements that stand out, like speed and quickness, but I have seen linemen run Young down from behind. Watching Dalton zip his third touchdown pass to Adam Thielen on Sunday, it’s obvious that, even at 36 years old, his arm is much stronger than Young’s. 

In the moment, it seemed shocking that Young got benched so quickly by a new coach who has preached patience all offseason and was hired specifically because he’s been a quarterback whisperer in Seattle and Tampa. But Carolina brought in help on the offensive line and in the receiver room to try to assist Young, and so far it hasn’t mattered. 

On the other hand, there’s an argument to be made that Canales had a hand in Young’s rough start this season. He sat him for the first two preseason games and gave him one series in the last game against Buffalo. Was that enough time for him to get acclimated to a different offensive system as well as new receivers and offensive lineman? 

In today’s NFL, preseason games are deemed almost unnecessary, but getting more reps behind center and experience playing with new teammates never hurts. It’s a copycat league, and in this case, maybe Canales should have played leader instead of follower. 

What’s the future for the Panthers?

There’s no way to know exactly why Canales’ changed his mind about Young. It could have been Young’s body language, as he certainly looked defeated by the end of each of his starts. If Young’s confidence was already shaken, what’s this benching going to do to it? 

There were times in those two games when he was taking off with no pass rush in his face. On another occasion, he didn’t appear to even notice a rusher coming straight up the middle in his line of sight until the last second as he was hit. 

Perhaps watching from the sidelines will benefit him in seeing what’s happening on the field better, but having a new coach already moving in another direction has to be a shock to the system and psyche. 

While Dalton is a veteran, he’s not the future for Charlotte. How long will Young sit? Canales has not answered that question, but after Dalton’s performance on Sunday, it would appear only an injury will bring Young back anytime soon. 

In years past, rookie quarterbacks often sat a season or two before even getting on the field, but again, the game has changed.

But if Young isn’t the answer, who is? It would be a hard pill to swallow for the Panthers and their fans if the team is sent back to square one in finding their franchise QB. 

Carolina will be back home on Sunday playing against the Cincinnati Bengals in Bank of America Stadium, and after their royal flush performance in Vegas, fans can leave the brown paper bags at home this time. 

A win at The Bank on Sunday would put them at 2-2 and in the running for the NFC South — somewhere nobody saw them just a few days ago. So despite all the uncomfortable questions about the long term, there is hope in 2024.