Dave Canales commits to Andy Dalton as Panthers' starter moving forward

There is no quarterback controversy in Carolina heading into Week 4.

Schuyler Callihan | Sep 24, 2024

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Carolina Panthers

After a miserable first two games of the season, the Carolina Panthers finally showed some life this past Sunday, picking up their first win of the year by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22.

Believe it or not, veteran quarterback Andy Dalton became the first quarterback this season to go over 300 yards passing while tossing for three touchdowns in the same game. Who had that on their bingo card?

Thanks to a much smoother operation offensively, Dalton will continue as the team's starter moving forward, according to head coach Dave Canales. “Andy is our quarterback," he said Monday afternoon. "He gives us our best chance to win. That’s the approach as we get ready for the Bengals.”

The difference in the passing game was noticeable right from the jump. Dalton spread the ball out to seven different receivers and found Diontae Johnson eight times for a total of 122 yards. This is what a Dave Canales offense is supposed to look like. That's the standard. The question is, how did this group look so much better in just one week's time? Was it just a simple changing of the quarterback?

“It was just a commitment to doing things right," said Canales. "Hit the first guy in progression, having answers for pressure, and just being able to take advantage of those things when we did. There’s certainly things that we’ve got to clean up, but just for the full system to come to life, it all starts up front with the offensive line. They took the challenge in the run game and we finished the game running the ball which is my dream, it’s my vision for Panthers football at its finest.”