Andy Dalton answers for costly turnovers, poor performance against Commanders

Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton didn't try to duck questions about his interceptions after the game.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 20: Andy Dalton #14 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. / (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers lost again today, and the margins aren't getting smaller - they're getting bigger. Today's defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders came by 33 points, up from 18 the week before, 26 the week before that and 10 the week before that.

The most troubling part of the trend is the play of starting QB Andy Dalton, who was supposed to offer a steady hand in place of the turnover-prone Bryce Young. Instead, Dalton has been just as bad with ball security, coughing up six interceptions over the last four games. That included two bad ones in the first quarter today that put the Panthers in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

To his credit, after it was over Dalton stood and faced the music. He didn't try to blame anybody else for his mistakes or make excuses for how he played. Here's the full video of Dalton's comments.

Andy Dalton answers for INTs

Andy Dalton speaks to the media. https://t.co/tooG3CkTzt

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 20, 2024

Accountability and character are nice, but if they won football games the Panthers wouldn't have needed to bench Bryce Young in the first place. As long as they're not even close to competing at a playoff level, there seems no reason to keep starting Dalton at the expense of Young's development. Head coach Dave Canales still says he's sticking with Dalton, though.

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