Following their third straight win on Sunday over the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers were riding high. The team had a winning record for the first time since October 2021. Once again, the defense showed its potential to be great. However, the Panthers did not come out of that game unscathed.
According to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young suffered an ankle injury and is now expected to miss Week Eight against the Buffalo Bills, one of their toughest matchups of the season.
Despite his size, Young has been durable throughout his NFL career, only missing one game due to injury when he was a rookie in 2023. In that Week Three game against the Seattle Seahawks, Andy Dalton filled in as the backup, as he could possibly do against the Bills.
Andy Dalton’s Experience
In a world where competent quarterback play in the NFL is few and far between, especially from the backup position, the Panthers have one of the better situations. Bryce Young’s backup is Andy Dalton.
Dalton is a former longtime starter and Pro Bowler who has proven throughout his career that he can navigate an NFL offense. The 37-year-old Dalton would be looking to show that, much like Joe Flacco showed for the Cincinnati Bengals, he can still turn it on occasionally in a spot start.
Since signing with the Panthers in 2023, Dalton has played in 12 games, totaling 1,468 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions, and an 85.9 passer rating. The Panthers are 3-9 in those 12 games.
One positive development from Sunday’s game was the chemistry between Dalton and wide receiver Xavier Legette after Dalton had to come in for the injured Young.
Dalton went 4-of-7 for 60 yards, with all of his completions to Legette. In Kassidy Hill’s October 20 article for Panthers.com, she wrote about head coach Dave Canales’ Dalton/Legette chemistry theory.
“Maybe his history,” Canales posed Monday of Dalton’s time with the Cincinnati Bengals. “A.J. Green, big bodies, throwing to those guys, he had a good group of receivers, tight ends in Cincinnati in his past, so maybe it’s that comfort level, just seeing that big frame and just getting him a ball within his frame that he can do something with.”
The chemistry between Dalton and Legette and their running game is why Panthers fans can remain hopeful while Young is hurt.
Running Backs Taking the Lead
With Bryce Young projected to miss 2–4 weeks with a high ankle sprain, the team will need to focus even more on what they have been doing well this season: running the ball.
In the two games Chuba Hubbard missed, Rico Dowdle totaled 289 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards. Now that Hubbard has returned, the Panthers have a 1-2 punch at the running back position.
On Sunday, Dowdle carried the ball 17 times for 79 yards, and Hubbard carried the ball 14 times for 31 yards.
Despite outperforming Hubbard in Sunday’s game against the Jets, Dowdle is focused on whatever will help the team win, as Michael David Smith of NBC Sports wrote about in his October 21 article.
“We knew we were gonna rotate every series, we were gonna switch up,” Dowdle said after the game. “Going into the game, coach had told us early on in the week. And I think it worked out. We got the win, so it worked.”
With Young possibly missing a few weeks, the Panthers will need to play crisp football to make up for his absence. However, with the veteran presence of Andy Dalton and a stout run game, there is still reason for optimism.
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