The benching of Bryce Younger turned out to be a very good factor for the Carolina Panthers within the brief time period.
However the huge image is what’s going to matter most. It isn’t near creating readability.
Younger’s substitute is Andy Dalton, who did his half by throwing three landing passes in Sunday’s 36-22 shock victory at Las Vegas.
Mixed with Carolina’s first victory of the season, the perfect half for the Panthers is the narrative took a sudden flip towards Dalton’s success and away from Younger’s troubles.
Bear in mind, Younger was dubbed by proprietor David Tepper because the quarterback who would information the Panthers again to prominence—for these with good reminiscences, the franchise has had success—when he was the general No. 1 draft choose in 2023 out of Alabama.
Two video games into Younger’s second professional season, the Panthers weren’t prepared to attend any longer, turning away from Younger and handing the quarterback reins to Dalton.
The notion that this may very well be a brief association misplaced steam with Sunday’s end result.
For his or her elements, Younger and Dalton have mentioned all the precise issues throughout the previous week.
Dalton, in his 14th NFL season, sounded giddy with the joy of returning to first-string standing. He wasn’t certain he would ever get that likelihood once more since he grew to become considerably of a journeyman since parting with the Cincinnati Bengals, the place his profession flourished at occasions.
After the result in Las Vegas, Dalton’s elation couldn’t be hidden.
“It’s a lot enjoyable while you haven’t had it shortly,” Dalton mentioned.
Younger has taken a team-first method within the aftermath of the choice.
“Simply making an attempt to be the perfect model of myself and do no matter I can to assist the group,” Younger mentioned. “ … (As a) competitor, clearly not what you dream of, what you suppose goes to occur.”
Even Sunday wasn’t all stress-free given what preceded that journey to Las Vegas. The Panthers scored a complete of 10 factors of their first two video games, unable to generate any offensive movement with the ball in Younger’s arms.
So even with first-year coach Dave Canales securing his first NFL victory, there was reflection on what all this would possibly imply for the Panthers and their QB, who was purported to be the inspiration for the longer term.
“A very heavy week, simply with all of the components,” Canales mentioned.
In Younger’s protection, he didn’t seem like surrounded by the best supporting case, although the best way Dalton delivered would possibly counsel in any other case. The Panthers have operated underneath three head coaches in a two-season span, definitely not offering Younger, or any younger participant, with a lot stability. They turned in an NFL-worst 2-15 document final yr.
This season, the Panthers have been a league-worst 9.1% (2-for-22) on third-down conversions within the two video games with Younger on the controls. In two video games this month, Younger was 31-for-56 for 245 yards and three interceptions.
Dalton threw for 319 yards with out an interception in opposition to the Raider. And even perhaps higher for the Panthers is that the eye may shift away from the Younger subject for at the very least one other week.
That’s as a result of Dalton not solely grew to become a part of successful story once more, however he’ll get the beginning Sunday in opposition to the Bengals, who go to Charlotte. The built-in connections between Dalton and the Bengals will likely be a welcome distraction to the bigger points that the Panthers nonetheless should handle.
It’s simple to maintain Younger, who was at midfield for Sunday’s pregame coin toss as certainly one of Carolina’s captains, on the sideline for now. However the Panthers are only one harm away from having Younger compelled again onto the sphere.
So this story is sure to have a number of extra chapters.
