The Carolina Panthers rode high this past Sunday, Sept. 22, dominating the Raiders in a 36-22 win in Las Vegas. Quarterback Andy Dalton played one of the best games so far this year, and it was only his first game as the official Panther quarterback.
With Dalton being the first QB in the league putting up over 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes, seeing the offense light it up from the jump was a breath of fresh air
for Carolina fans.
It all started on the first drive with Dalton looking sharp and making the right throws to receivers Diontae Johnson, Tommy Tremble and Adam Thielen. Then finally hitting running back Chuba Hubbard on a check swing to help give Carolina their first lead in a game since 2022.
The Raiders answered with a long pass on the next drive for 56 yards and scored to tie it up 7-7. But from there the Panthers would dominate the rest of the half going into halftime up 21-7.
This is quite unfamiliar territory for Panthers fans to be in but it’s the good kind. The Panthers’ defense allowed some late scores from the Raiders in garbage time but nonetheless, they won their first game of the season and handed first-year coach Dave Canales his first victory as an NFL coach.
Not everything went the Panthers’ way. With some good things, there were also some unfortunate things that came with it.
Receiver Thielen, who caught a TD pass near the end of the first half, injured his hamstring on the play and was out for the remainder of the game. He was recently put on the injured reserve list and will miss the Week 4 match against the Bengals.
In what was a really “heavy week,” according to Canales, this win meant a lot to him and the players considering everything that has happened to get to this win. With the benching of Bryce Young, everyone counted them out and expected the same result as the last two weeks but that wasn’t the case.
With all the criticism that came with benching Young, it certainly came with good reason. Canales said in a press conference that “Andy Dalton gives us the best chance to win.” Benching Young takes the pressure off of him being the starter. Now he can learn behind a proven veteran like Dalton and get his confidence back.
This week, the Panthers are back home Sunday to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in what is kind of a revenge game for Dalton, playing the team he was drafted by and was the franchise’s quarterback for nine seasons.
The Bengals come into Charlotte 0-3 after dropping a Monday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders. With this game being the 12th all time meeting between the two teams and the record being tied at 5-5-1.
It’s certainly interesting to see how this game matches up considering the Bengals have struggled with early games the last couple of years.
The question fans might be asking is was the victory against the Raiders a one-game wonder?” Can Dalton sustain this kind of success with this Panthers team? It’s definitely an intriguing question to look at because with this one win it has Panther fans believing Dalton can turn this team around.
The Panthers benefited in other ways Sunday besides winning their match against the Raiders.
With the other three NFC South rivals losing, it helps Carolina in the division standings.
It’s certainly interesting to see how this game matches up considering the Bengals have struggled with early games the last couple of years. Heading into Bank of America Stadium on a high note for the Panthers, will they continue their winning streak? Or fall back to reality?
