Introduction: Andy Dalton

At 36, Andy Dalton is no longer
making his NFL debut. But on Sunday,
the Panthers’ newly named starting

quarterback had a memorable afternoon.
In his first start in nearly a year
after replacing Bryce Young as

Carolina’s starting quarterback,
Dalton gave Dave Canales his
first win of the season.

Dalton’s Panthers, dead after two losses to the Saints and Chargers, suddenly came to life after a 36-22 win over the Raiders on Sunday. The same can be said about Dalton’s career.

“I mean, I felt good,” Dalton said after the game. . “I thought our guys came in with the right attitude and mentality from the start and never slowed down. That was fun.

We just couldn’t get it going. No. We did it.” “We played complementary football in the game and the players had a lot of fun, and that’s how it should be.”

Dalton and the Panthers got off to a strong start Sunday, scoring their first touchdown in 28 games on their first possession. Dalton said after the win that he didn’t

know Carolina had been called in the opening game, but in hindsight it was probably for the best.

Carolina had a balanced offense that day

Dalton ran for 319 yards and Tuba Hubbard rushed for 131 yards. The Panthers scored just 13 points in the first two games with Young under center, but he scored 7 of 11 in the contest.

For now, Dalton is enjoying the win, his first start since Week 17 of the 2022 season. Next up is his former team, the Bengals, an organization he will face for the fourth

time since leaving Cincinnati following the 2019 season. But it will be his first time in Carolina, where Dalton is “feeling really good” in his 14th year in the league.

“It’s a big win for us, our first win of the year,” Dalton said of his 84th win as a starter on Sunday. “It’s okay, let’s go.” We know there is potential. We have to play at this level.”