Panthers make major QB change ahead of Raiders matchup

The Las Vegas Raiders gained an immense amount of confidence on Sunday after a hard-fought win against the Baltimore Ravens. Being able to earn a split in a tough two-game road stretch to begin the year provides tons of momentum for the future.

In Week 3, the Raiders are set to host the 0-2 Carolina Panthers at Allegiant Stadium, looking for a chance to get above .500.

Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been incredibly underwhelming through two weeks as Carolina's quarterback. He and the Panthers were blown out and embarrassed in their two losses to the Saints and Chargers.

But the Raiders won’t be facing Bryce Young.

According to multiple reports, after insisting that Bryce Young would be the quarterback going forward, Panthers head coach Dave Canales has elected to make a change under center, bringing in the veteran Andy Dalton to start in Week 3. 

Through two games, the Panthers have only managed a single touchdown and 13 total points. Young has completed 55.3% of his passes for 245 total yards and 3 interceptions in eight quarters of play to go with 6 sacks taken. His QBRs in Weeks 1 and 2 were 12.2 and 6.4. 

Simply put, outside of a single rushing touchdown, Young has been arguably the worst quarterback in the league. But he will not get a chance to show how bad he is against Las Vegas.

Andy Dalton, the journeyman, will instead get a chance to prove that he can turn this team around against the Raiders. 

Now in his 14th NFL season, Dalton enters the Week 3 contest with a career record of 83-78-2, and is 3-0 against the Silver and Black as a starter with seven passing touchdowns and no interceptions. 

His 62.5% completion percentage paired with 38,511 passing yards, 246 touchdowns and only 144 interceptions figure to give Carolina a better chance against Las Vegas. 

Dalton was 0-1 as the starter last season in Carolina, but did start 14 games for the New Orleans Saints in 2022, going 6-8.

Say what you want about his career, but Dalton has never been a bottom-of-the-barrel quarterback. His best days are obviously behind him, and he has not had a winning record as a starter since 2015, but he gives them a better chance to win than Bryce Young does.

For Raiders fans, this situation feels eerily reminiscent of Tyson Bagent starting for the Bears last year. Just because a guy is a backup does not mean he can’t play. Plus, having no recent or relevant film on a player can make things difficult for a defensive coordinator.

However, the Panthers still have an undesirable set of skill players and a below-average offensive line and defense, so the Raiders should go into this game feeling supremely confident. 

But Dalton starting on Sunday throws a major wrench into things. It’s nothing that Antonio Pierce and Patrick Graham can't handle, but it is something to monitor.