According to a report from the NFL Network, veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will get the starting nod for Carolina (0-2 straight up, 0-2 against the spread) when it plays Sunday at Las Vegas.
The Panthers are benching second-year signal caller Bryce Young, who was their first-round pick with the #1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young was ineffective again in a 26-3 home loss to the Chargers in Week 2.
The University of Alabama product completed 18-of-26 passes for only 84 yards and one interception. The 84 passing yards were the fourth fewest in franchise history when a QB attempted at least 25 passes.
In a season-opening 47-10 loss at New Orleans, Young was intercepted on the team’s first play on offense. He ended up connecting on just 13-of-30 throws for 161 yards with zero touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Young had 12 rushing yards and one TD on four attempts against the Saints, who are in a first-place tie with Tampa Bay with a 2-0 record in the NFC South.
As a rookie in 2023, Young started 16 of 17 games for the Panthers, who went 2-15 SU and 4-11-2 ATS. The rookie QB completed 315-of-527 throws (59.8%) for 2,877 yards with an 11/10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Young added 253 rushing yards while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
With yesterday’s setback, Young is now 2-16 in 18 career NFL starts.
Dalton started once and made three appearances for Carolina in 2023. The 36-year-old TCU product completed 34-of-58 passes (58.6%) for 361 yards and two TDs without an interception.
Dalton owns an 83-78-2 career record in 163 career NFL starts. He had a 6-8 record in 14 starts for New Orleans in 2022 and went 3-3 in six starts for Chicago in 2021.
Dalton, who was 4-5 in nine starts for Dallas in 2020, was Cincinnati’s franchise QB from 2011-19. The three-time Pro-Bowler is ranked 23rd in NFL history in career pass attempts (5,455), 24th in completions (3,408) and 26th in passing yards (38,511).
Dalton has a 246/144 career TD-INT ratio and 22 career rushing TDs.
As of Monday afternoon, most books had Las Vegas (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) installed as a six-point home favorite vs. the Panthers, who were +210 to +235 (Westgate SuperBook) on the money line. The total was 41 points.