Grading Andy Dalton's disappointing performance in Panthers Windy City beat down

Matt Alquiza | Oct 6, 2024

Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Andy Dalton was the NFL's feel-good story through four weeks. The 36-year old veteran had been passed over by franchises looking for a starting quarterback time and again, so he settled on a role as Bryce Young's backup in Carolina. Dalton was billed as the perfect veteran mentor to show the Panthers' number one overall pick in 2023, Bryce Young, the ropes in the early aughts of his career.

It took 17 Bryce Young starts, 15 of those uninspiring losses, for Carolina to replace Young with Dalton as the team's starting quarterback. Dalton impressed immediately, bringing the Panthers a spark in an upset win over the Raiders and a close loss to the Super Bowl contending Cincinnati Bengals. The goodwill Dalton built up had Panthers fans soaring into this week's psuedo-rivalry matchup with the Chicago Bears, but they were grounded quickly.

Dalton and the Carolina Panthers offense didn't stand a chance against the upstart Bears defense. An early Chuba Hubbard touchdown was the lone bright spot in an otherwise ugly afternoon, and Dalton was as the center of the offensive disasterclass.

The veteran signal-caller finished 18/28 for 136 yards with no touchdowns, an interception, and two fumbles that the Panthers ultimately recovered. The stat-line doesn't tell the story of how ugly it really was. Dalton looked uncomfortable in the pocket all afternoon, dancing around with footwork that mimicked the benched signal-caller that he was brought in to replace,

The Panthers offensive weapons were totally unable to create separation against the Bears secondary. Jalon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson had Diontae Johnson, Jonathan Mingo, and Xavier Legette in handcuffs. The revamped Carolina offensive line struggled to keep Dalton clean. Frankly it brought back bleak memories of Panthers seasons passed that were washed away in the honeymoon phase that they Dalton ushered in. The good vibes that Carolina had built up in recent weeks aren't enough to make up for the talent deficit they still face week-to-week in the ever-competitive NFL.

Dalton was bad. Not Bryce Young bad, but still bad. The Bears defense gets a ton of credit for today's performance. They were well-prepared for everything Carolina had to offer, and Dalton was firmly in their crosshairs.

Dalton's final grade

Dalton will receive a D+ for this performance, but it could be lower. Not low enough for this space to consider reintroducing Bryce Young to the starting offense next week, but that thought will be reverberating across the sports talk airwaves going forward.

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